17 April 2018, Religious Information Service of Ukraine
Today, the President of Ukraine met with the heads of all parliamentary factions to discuss the church-state question. Petro Poroshenko said that he had decided to ask the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant the Tomos of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The president asked that parliamentarians supported his request.
Poroshenko said that he had already handed over the appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch and hopes that Constantinople will make a positive decision on the Ukrainian question at the nearest Council
"I believe this decision will be made to the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine," he said. Ukraine will celebrate the anniversary this summer.
Petro Poroshenko also said that all the bishop of the Kyivan Patriarchate had signed a similar appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew. Representatives of other churches supported this idea.
"I met with the Metropolitan of the UAOC Makariy and he informed me that the Hierarchical Council of the UAOC today also supported the appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the President," he said.
The President also stressed that the formation of a new United Local Orthodox Church in Ukraine is a historical event for Ukraine.
"Ukraine, as an independent state, is not just entitled but obliged to create such a Church and demonstrate the same unity regarding this issue, as all the Churches have shown, " said Poroshenko.
He also noted that the United Local Orthodox Church would not become a state Church.
