UAOC - UOC-KP continue dialogue

(RISU) - On 9 February, in the building of the Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, in Kyiv, a regular session of the Hierarchical Council of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) will be held. All the bishops of the Church are expected to attend. So reported the web site of UAOC.

Vicar of Kyiv of UAOC, Bishop Volodymyr (Cherpak) of Vyshhorod and Podillia noted in a commentary to RISU that the bishops are to hear the report of the Committee which conducted official negotiations with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate regarding the possible unification. After the report, the hierarchs are to pass a decision.

“The members of the committee will report on the executed work and submit their proposals. Our bishops already discussed the question of unification but the committee did not report to the council yet. So, whether the negotiations with the Kyivan Patriarchate are to stop or not will depend on the result of the report of the committee at the council,” he said.

According to Bishop Volodymyr, the committee, which is to report to the council next Thursday, was headed by Metropolitan Andrii (Abramchuk) of Ivano-Frankivsk.

Let us remind that on 14 September, Patriarch of UOC-KP Filaret agreed it with Metropolitan Mefodii of UAOC to start a dialogue on unification of the two Churches. The unification process failed. UOC-KP accused UAOC of setting an unacceptable condition, namely, resignation of Patriarch Filaret. The clergy of UAOC, on the other hand, would like the unification to include also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate.