The Ecumenical Patriarchate will provide autocephaly without the consent of Moscow - President

The Ecumenical Patriarchate will provide autocephaly without the consent of Moscow - President

“By the way, taking into account yesterday’s decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Lord is with us as well, because yesterday the decision was made about the right of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to provide all states and, in the first place, Ukraine, with the right to establish the Autocephalous Orthodox Ukrainian Church without Moscow's opinion". It was stated by President Petro Poroshenko during the solemn events on the occasion of the start of the new 2018/2019 school year in "Scientific Change" Lyceum.

The Head of State noted that the process had been started three years ago and became public in April after the President's appeal and support of this appeal by the Verkhovna Rada, regional councils, and also after the appeal of the hierarchs of the Orthodox churches to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch.

The President believes an independent Orthodox Church is one of the important elements of an independent state.