KIEV, December 13. /TASS/. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople will grant Ukraine the so-called Tomos on autocephaly on January 6, Archbishop Evstratiy Zorya, the press secretary of the Kiev Patriarchate, stated on Thursday.
"The Tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is to be granted to the primate (of the new Ukrainian church - TASS) on January 6," Zorya informed. He added that the tomos will be granted in Constantinople after a joint liturgy of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the head of the new Ukrainian church.
The head of the new Ukrainian church will be elected during the so-called Unifying Assembly, set to take place in Kiev on December 15.
The autocephaly issue
Earlier reports informed that the Unifying Assembly, aimed at setting up an autocephalous church in Ukraine, would take place on December 15. Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew has sent out invitations to the heads of Ukrainian autocephalous and canonical churches, asking them to take part in the assembly. However, the hierarchs of Ukraine’s canonical churches have refused to participate in the assembly, stating that their position on this issue has not changed.
Chairman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Legal Department Archpriest Alexander Bakhov stated on Tuesday that the Ukrainian government is pressuring the Ukrainian canonical church’s clergy to participate in the assembly, and that the church will fight against any allegations. He added that such attempts destabilize the situation in the country.
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.