On 30 January 2018 at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij met with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome.
The UWC President presented the Resolution of the 2017 UWC Annual General Meeting further calling upon the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant a Tomos of Autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyivan Patriarchate. Eugene Czolij also familiarized the Ecumenical Patriarch with the current Euro-integration processes in Ukraine and emphasized the threat of the hybrid war of the Russian Federation for Ukraine and for peace and stability in the world.
Also participating in the meeting were Vice-President of the Conference for European Churches Metropolitan Emmanuel of France; Eparch of Edmonton and the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada Bishop Ilarion; Сhief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Archimandrite Joachim Billis; Consul of Ukraine in Istanbul Maksym Vdovychenko; and Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk.
The UWC President also attended Divine Liturgy celebrating the feast day of the Three Hierarchs in the Venerable Patriarchal Church of Saint George. He then attended a reception with the Ecumenical Patriarch and Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church.
“The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to grant a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyivan Patriarchate,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
In the Photo from left: E. Czolij and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
