Christmas liturgy at St Sophia Cathedral: Presentation of Tomos

Before the service, Poroshenko and Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius solemnly brought the tomos of autocephaly to the cathedral. After that, the tomos was installed at the place of honor.

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius held a liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, MPs, Cabinet members,  as well as representatives of Ukraine's cultural circles, chaplains, and volunteers took part in the general prayer.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine notes that on this day Ukrainians celebrate not only the birth of Christ but also the revival and establishment of a single local Ukrainian Orthodox church. The tomos at St. Sophia Cathedral is a visible sign of confirmation of church autocephaly and independence.

After the liturgy, the tomos will be transferred for public viewing to the refectory church of St. Sophia of Kyiv (Small Sofia), where everyone will be able to see it from 8:00 to 18:00, daily.

The entrance to the refectory church of St. Sophia of Kyiv is expected to be free.

As reported, on January 6, 2019, the ceremony to hand over a tomos of autocephaly to the united Orthodox Church of Ukraine took place at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave the document to Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius.

On December 15, the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv hosted a unification council of orthodox churches in Ukraine. At this council, the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church created a single local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, approved its charter and elected the primate - Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius.