The Extraordinary Council of Bishops of the Church of Greece at an extraordinary meeting on October 12 decided to recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OCU), the head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, has said.
“I thankful my brother in Christ, the head of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, His Beatitude Archbishop Jerome II of Athens and all Greece and brothers bishops who today at a meeting of the Extraordinary Council of Bishops backed the position and followed the canonic and historic decisions of Ecumenical Patriarch, which allows fully cooperate for the two our autocephalous churches in all spheres,” Metropolitan Epifaniy wrote on his Facebook page.
He said that Greece and Ukraine are linked “by many glorious pages of history, friendship and cooperation.”
“The establishment of complete Eucharistic unity and official relations between the Local Churches of Greece and Ukraine is another page that will be forever inscribed in our history and our hearts!” the head of the OCU wrote.
Metropolitan Epifaniy expressed the hope that he will visit Athens “in the near future’ in order to personally express his gratitude to His Beatitude Archbishop Jerome II of Athens and all Greece, the bishops and the Church of Greece.
The Council’s decision was also announced by OCU spokesman Ivan Sydor. “At an extraordinary meeting on October 12 the Council of the Church of Greece recognized the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The decision was made under the chairmanship of the head of the Council and Greek Church His Beatitude Archbishop Jerome II of Athens and all Greece,” Sydor wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the church news website Romfea.gr, the Greek archbishop presented a report entitled “Information on the autocephalous church of Ukraine.” His proposal on the church of Ukraine was recognized and accepted by a majority of bishops.
