Hundreds of people gathered next to Saint Sophia’s Cathedral in Kyiv on January 7 to see the reception of Tomos by UOC. Among them are not only believers. As one person in the queue said: “I am an atheist, but I understand the importance of this historic event, this provision of Tomos for Ukrainian church. This is one more sign of our independence.”
On the eve of the ceremony, Tomos on autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was signed in Istanbul by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Phanar was brought to Saint Sophia’s Cathedral. Tomos was handed over to the head of UOC metropolitan of Kyiv and Ukraine Epiphanius. On Monday it was exhibited in Saint Sophia’s Cathedral in Kyiv. Metropolitan Epiphanius and President Petro Poroshenko, the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, solemnly brought Tomos on autocephaly of the OCU to the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
On the same day, the Christmas Liturgy was held in Saint Sophia’s Cathedral, the head of state Petro Poroshenko and other statesmen were present.
Then it was moved to Refectory Church of Sofia Cathedral in Kyiv for the exhibition. The document will be available until 18.00.
Recall that in April 2018, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko asked the Ecumenical Patriarch for autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church. Prior to that President, Viktor Yushchenko tried to obtain Tomos, but according to him, some politicians prevented him from realizing these plans.
On December 15, last year, during the Unity Synod in Kyiv, Orthodox bishops announced the unification of Ukrainian churches into a single Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva Epiphanius was elected its head. St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery had become the Cathedral Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
And on January 5, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed Tomos on the autocephaly of the United Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
From now on Orthodox Church of Ukraine is the fifteenth church that got autocephaly.
Text and Photo by Ivan Pechenyi
