25 June 2018, the day of the name day of his Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Onuphrius, after the festive divine Liturgy in Kiev-Pechersk has lauraashley meeting of the seventy bishops who attended the celebrations, reports patriarhiei.
The permanent members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, took part in the meeting with his Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at his residency in Istanbul on June 23, reported on the results of the conversation.
Bishops attending the meeting also adopted a joint statement which highlighted: “the Patriarchate of Constantinople has denied the information that the canonical mechanism of overcoming the schism in Ukrainian Orthodoxy has already been finalized, and the text of the Tomos of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church is composed. Not confirmed that the unilateral provision of Ukrainian Church autocephaly can be held in the near future or at some specific time.” Noted the willingness of the Patriarchate of Constantinople “to join the process of overcoming the Ukrainian Church schism in consultation with the fraternal local Orthodox churches.”
The meeting expressed concern “regarding the possibility of creating in Ukraine a parallel ecclesiastical jurisdictions, as was reported in the press,” noting that such a step would deepen the schism in Ukraine. On the other hand, in the case of transformation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church structure of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, she would have lost “significant part of the rights to which she is entitled over the last decade.”
Participating in the meeting of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said: “the Existing canonical status is sufficient for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church successfully carried out his mission among the people of Ukraine. Attempts to change this status will only lead to restriction of rights and freedoms vested in our Church, with the rights of broad autonomy. Besides, these attempts will not cure and will only deepen the split in Ukrainian Orthodoxy and Ukrainian society as a whole.”
Signatories to the statement, the bishops unanimously confirmed that they intend to abide by “given at the ordination of the Episcopal oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”. In support of its position, all the bishops present signed the statement with their signature.