Euronews

The decision to create a single local church in Ukraine will be adopted by the Holy Synod at the end of the summer or in September. This was stated by Patriarch Filaret, reports Channel 5.



According to him, after that all the bishops of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church and the Moscow Patriarchate, who addressed the Ecumenical Patriarch with a request for autocephaly, should gather for the Unification Council.



They will elect the head of the Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church.



"We hope that at the end of August or at the beginning of September this meeting of the Holy Synod will decide on the provision of Tomos, so we must hold the Unification Council. Who are we? Those bishops who appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarch. This episcopate at the Council of Bishops should elect a single leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," Filaret believes.



Let us note that on July 28 the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew confirmed the intention to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

On April 19 Verkhovna Rada with 268 votes of people's deputies supported the appeal of the President of Ukraine to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to provide Tomos about the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Later it became known that the Ecumenical Patriarchate was beginning consultations with sister churches on the issue of granting autocephaly to the UOC.



Note that since the early 90's in Ukraine there are several jurisdictions that call themselves Orthodox local and autocephalous churches.



The canonical status is held by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Bessarabian Metropolitanate of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate is canonically unrecognized.



In addition, Ukraine also has an unrecognized Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC).

Related: Ukrainian Air Forces state on future replenishment of aircraft fleet