Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate declared his readiness to accept the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate to the new Local Church.
Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate declared his readiness to accept the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate to the new Local Church.
He said this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, according to Hromadske.
“They are not strangers to us, they are from among us. Everything that was before, whatever they say, will be rejected and forgotten,” said Patriarch Filaret, answering a question about the readiness to receive the bishops of the MP.
However, the Patriarch stated that all procedures for obtaining the Tomos could be completed before the new year.
“We cannot predict the time. This process will necessarily take place. And it will probably end, when all will go to the one Church,” added the Primate of the UOC-KP.
As reported, on September 7, the Ecumenical Patriarchate appointed two exarchs in Kyiv to prepare for the process of granting autocephaly.
The Russian Orthodox Church called this appointment an invasion into its canonical territory and threatened to break Eucharistic communion.
On September 14, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate decided to cease participation in the structures under the auspices of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, as well as to remember Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during the worship service, on the backdrop of preparation by the Phanar of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.
On September 17, the exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at a meeting with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv stated that the process of the provision of autocephaly to the UOC is a “fait accompli”.