Poroshenko: Ecumenical Patriarchate confirms the right to independent granting of autocephaly

"Yesterday, a decision was made on the right of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant all the countries, primarily Ukraine, a right to establish a local united Ukrainian orthodox church, without taking into account Moscow's opinion. I am sure that the process which we started three years ago and which became public in April after the Verkhovna Rada had supported my appeal... will end with a decision on independent orthodox church as one of important elements of independent state," Poroshenko said, speaking on the occasion of start of academic year at the “Naukova Zmina” lyceum in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

On September 2, it was decided at the Bishops' Council in Istanbul that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople could grant autocephaly without any agreements.

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