Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Filaret says the process of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is irreversible.
"We've reached a milestone when an autocephalous [independent] Ukrainian church has become an irreversible process, because the Ecumenical Patriarch firmly stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian people deserve their independent church," he said at a press conference in Kyiv, an UNIAN correspondent has reported.
He also mentioned the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and reinstate him in canonical status.
"The Ecumenical Patriarch together with the Synod have restored justice – they nullified and lifted the anathema imposed on me by the Moscow Patriarch and the Bishops' Council in 1992," he said.
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 Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Filaret and head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) Makariy were reinstated in their canonical status.
On October 12, the UOC-KP urged the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to prepare for a special unification council.
