Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate and congratulated Patriarch Filaret on the 23rd anniversary of his enthronement.
The meeting took place in the residence of the Patriarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate in the Ukrainian capital, according to the presidential administration.
The Head of State thanked Patriarch Filaret for his many years of service and efforts to create the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Read alsoPatriarch Filaret comments on language of preaching in Ukraine's new church
As UNIAN reported earlier, on October 11, following a meeting of the Synod, a decision was announced, stating that the Ecumenical Patriarchate proceeds to granting autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine. In addition, the legal binding of the Synod’s letter of 1686 was abolished, thus taking the Kyiv Metropolis from under Moscow's canonical jurisdiction. Also, head of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret and head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Makariy were reinstated in their canonical status.
On October 12, the Kyiv Patriarchate called on the episcopate, clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to begin the preparation of the Unification Council.
