Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Andriy Parubiy has urged the Ecumenical Patriarch to visit Ukraine and address in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as 112 Ukraine broadcasted.
“I want to confirm that I invite His Most Divine All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to visit Ukraine and address in the Verkhovna Rada. I am sure that we should properly honor this prominent person, courageous personality, who is engraved in the history of Ukraine forever,” Parubiy said.
We recall, the Unification Assembly in Kyiv elected on December 15 head of the local Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Metropolitan of the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate Epifaniy (Dumenko). On the same day, the bishops approved the charter of the new church.
Practically all the hierarchs of the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, the UAOC, and two bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate took part in the Assembly.
The next step for the final formation of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine will be to conduct a joint service of Epifaniy with the Ecumenical Patriarch and receive Tomos about the autocephaly.
Besides, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew congratulated and blessed celebrant of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epifaniy (Dumenko).
The Tomos on the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will be provided on January 6,2019 in Constantinople.