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The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has said the Holy Council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will be held in December.

"In preparation for the meeting of the Holy and Sacred Synod from November 27-29, 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople reiterates its sacred decision to grant the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," the Ecumenical Patriarchate said in a communiqué on November 19, 2018.

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"While the preparation process for the Holy Council (SOBOR) of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is underway, a concrete date within December 2018 will be presented for the confirmation and announcement by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate," it 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.

On November 3, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed an agreement on cooperation and interaction between Ukraine and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.