During his stay in Kyiv, Patriarch Bartholomew conferred the title of archon on the patron of the OCU, a representative of the Russian capital, Andrei Matsola. This was reported on the OCU website.

The award ceremony took place on August 23 at the residence of the head of the OCU, which was restored by the patronage of the Andrei Matsol`s wife Svetlana.

Addressing Andrei Matsola and the guests of the event, Patriarch Bartholomew noted that the Mother Church for many centuries throughout the world has been honoring worthy people with this high award: “The Mother Church of Constantinople has been honoring individuals since Byzantine times, that is, for many centuries, making a significant contribution to its development, providing everything that they can give to the Church: be it material benefits, or moral”. He also noted that the awarding was suggested by Epiphany Dumenko.