UOC-KP comments on Zelensky's initiative to seek patriarchate status for OCU

Head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denysenko. Photo: rbc.ua

The UOC-KP expressed support for President Volodymyr Zelensky's initiative, in which he appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to grant Ukraine the status of a patriarchate. Filaret's press service stated that they hope for a positive response from the head of Phanar.

"Our Church fully supports the position of the Head of the Ukrainian State. We are convinced that a patriarchate will contribute to the spiritual sovereignty of our people and help achieve the desired unity of all Ukrainian Orthodoxy. This is especially important now, during the Russian-Ukrainian war and amid the confrontation related to the ideology of the so-called 'Russian world'," the UOC-KP's official statement said.

Filaret also noted that the Ukrainian flock has all the historical and canonical grounds for receiving such a high ecclesiastical status, which would benefit all of Orthodoxy. "We believe that His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, understanding his historical mission, will respond to the President of Ukraine's request with understanding and will ultimately meet the devout Ukrainian people's need by granting the Patriarchate status to the Ukrainian Church," the statement underscored.

As previously reported by the UOJ, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that at the end of August 2024, he called on the Ecumenical Patriarchate to elevate the status of the OCU to a patriarchate.

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