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Unifying assembly of Ukraine’s churches to take place on December 15 — media

KIEV, December 4. /TASS/. The Unifying Assembly aimed at setting up an autocephalous church in Ukraine will take place on December 15, the Apostrophe outlet informed on Tuesday.

"The Unifying Assembly of Ukrainian Orthodox churches will take place on December 15, 2018, sources in the clergy informed the Apostrophe," the Ukrainian news outlet reported. During the session, the members of the clergy will elect the head of the new church and agree on its statute. At the next session, the church will officially receive the autocephalous status from Constantinople.

On the outcomes of the Holy and Sacred Synod held on October 9-11, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople announced the decision to lift the anathema against leaders of two extracanonical churches in Ukraine - Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate and Makariy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarchate also announced that it is starting the process of granting autocephalous status to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

In response to this, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church has made a decision to cease joint Eucharistic celebrations (joint liturgies) with Constantinople.

On November 13, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate announced that it deems the decisions made by Constantinople invalid, and officially proclaimed the rupture of relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.