UOC-KP to ask the Ecumenical Patriarch to recognize their autocephalous status
The Holy Synod of the UOC-KP intends to petition the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to initiate the dialogue aimed at recognizing the Kyiv Patriarchate as autocephalous church.
This is stated in the decree of the Holy Synodheld on July27, in Kyiv.
Referring toabundant historical evidence, the bishops of the UOC-KP note that once Moscow hasillegally seized power over the Kyiv Metropolis of the Constantinople Patriarchate and so the ROC has no rightto canonical power in Ukraine.
“The Councils of the Ukrainian Church have repeatedly testified that the acts of 1685-1686 on subordination of the Kyiv Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarchate areunlawful, illegal, related to simony, and thereforehave beennull and void from the very beginning and cannot be accepted as legitimate even after a long period of their being in effect under the pressure of worldly power and external circumstances,”the hierarchs state.
The Holy Synod of the UOC-KP therefore believes autocephaly to be the best way of life for the Ukrainian Church and its faithful and for improvement of pastoral ministry and asks Constantinople to begin a dialogue on the recognition of the UOC-KP.
“Striving to achieve this, the Holy Synod determines topetition His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch and the Holy Synod of the Mother Church of Constantinople to initiate the officially approved dialogue with our Church to declare it autocephalous," the Synod said in their ruling.
UOC-KP hierarchs also ask the Ukrainian Orthodox diaspora under the omophorion of the Ecumenical Patriarch to assist them in establishing such a dialogue and the recognition of autocephaly.
In another paragraph, the Holy Synod of UOC-KP commissions Patriarch Filaret to send the relevant letters to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Holy Synod of the Mother Church of Constantinople and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora under the omophorion of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
