The head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko made a public statement regarding the future visit of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to Ukraine. The Kyiv Patriarchate is convinced that “this visit should be filled with a real historical mission and weight,” according to Filaret’s Facebook page.

“In this regard, I want to assure that the episcopate, clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate will once again welcome as a guest His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew on Ukrainian territory in case he, during his visit, will present Tomos on granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church the status of Patriarchate.

At the same time, I appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of the Ukrainian authorities with a request, on the eve of the visit, to raise before His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew the issue of granting a new Tomos. It would fully correspond to the historical place and significance that the Ukrainian Church has played and is playing in the world Orthodoxy,” the statement reads.