The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and the 20-million strong Ukrainian diaspora, the interests of which it represents, welcome the successful completion on 15 December 2018 in Kyiv of the Unifying Synod and the establishment of the single native autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and the election as its Primate His Beatitude Epifaniy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
“We congratulate all orthodox Ukrainians with this truly historic moment. Only on the foundation of unification, in Ukraine and throughout the world, will Ukrainians become ever stronger in defending their faith, the interests of their nation, their free, independent and democratic state,” stated UWC President Paul Grod.
A critical aspect over recent decades in the struggle for an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was the steadfast position of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, while in recent years – the staunch support of the state, and particularly President Petro Poroshenko, that created the necessary conditions for the development of churches in Ukraine.
Particular gratitude is expressed to the Mother Church of Constantinople, as it was the unwavering position of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that made this historic moment possible today.
The UWC also played its important role with consistent efforts toward achieving this goal – the establishment of an autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
In November 2016 (https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/news.php/news/1541/group/38) and January 2018 (https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/news.php/news/1781/group/1), during meetings with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome, former UWC President Eugene Czolij presented Resolutions of UWC Annual General Meetings calling upon the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant a Tomos of Autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On 6 January 2019, at the Phanar, the Tomos will be presented to His Beatitude Epifaniy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, for the establishment of the new Autocephalous Church, and thus concluding the process of creating a single native autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
