Constantinople finalizes procedure for election of Primate of the Autocephalous Church in Ukraine

Bishops, priests, those who lead monastic life and laypeople will take part in the Unification Council on December 15 in Kyiv. All of them will have the right to vote to form a ballot of three candidates at the unification council.

This is stated in the invitation to the Council, which was received by Ukrainian hierarchs from Patriarch Bartholomew. Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabinko), one of the participants of the future Council, posted this letter on Facebook.

“Taking into account our Patriarchal Letter (No. 1001), dated October 12, 2018, to His Eminence Metropolitan Onufry of Kyiv, we invite your Eminence to take part along with one clergyman and one monk or layman, each of whom will have the right to vote to form a ballot consisting of three candidates at the Unification Council in the historic Church of Wisdom of God (St. Sophia) in Kyiv on Saturday, December 15, 2018, for the establishment of the Charter and the canonical election of the Primate of the Autonomous Orthodox Church in Ukraine as it was previously decided,” the document says.

The invitation also specifies who will chair the Council.

“This Council will convene under the chairmanship of our special exarch of the Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, who will govern the process of the above-mentioned Council in cooperation with our exarchs in Ukraine and in the honorable presence of Petro Poroshenko, the President of your country.”