UAOC officially declares its readiness to real association to establish the unified national church in Ukraine

On April 23, the UAOC episcopate issued a statement endorsing the unification of Orthodox Ukrainians into one local church. According to them, it will help strengthen the Ukrainian state, especially in the war.

By this statement, the bishops officially reassert that the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church seeks to begin the real process of unification with the UOC-KP after the Local Council, which will be held on June 4-5, 2015.

A special commission on negotiation process comprising five persons was set up by the decision of the Council of Bishops. This commission is empowered to negotiate with the UOC-KP under several conditions to be adopted and approved by the Local Council, namely:

- Combining two titles of the Churches into one in the following wording: the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate.

- All dioceses of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church that existed before the unification shall retain their boundaries and ruling bishops and deans until the final merger of all three branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy in one Local Orthodox Church.

The UAOC bishops proposed the UOC-KP to formulate their requirements to unification or agree with the proposal of the UAOC, and to approve this decision by the Synod or Council if they agree to these proposals. Further the UAOC proposes to convene a joint council and choose one Primate for the united local church.

If the UOC (MP) wants to participate in the unification process, the bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church expressed willingness “to negotiate on the terms of sincerity and brotherly Christian love.”