Four years ago, a truly epoch-making event for Ukrainian Orthodoxy took place: by the grace of God, the fight of the Ukrainian people for liberation from spiritual occupation, church unification, and recognition of the autocephaly of their native local Ukrainian Orthodox Church was completed.
The atmosphere that prevailed on the day of the Unification Council, held in the ancient Sophia of Kyiv, was special: everyone understood the extreme importance and weight of the moment. It wasn’t only the bishopric, clergy, and delegates of the Council. Together with them in prayer stood thousands of believers who, despite the winter weather, gathered in Sofia Square, waiting with hope for the historic decision of the Council, recalls the press service of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
And then it was with great joy and gratitude that they welcomed the historical conclusion: the three branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy united into a single local Orthodox Church of Ukraine!
During the Unification Council, the Statute of the Church was adopted and its Primate was elected – His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
We sincerely thank the Lord for the fact that He has graced us with such a great gift – to be children of the native independent autocephalous Ukrainian Church, which, with God’s blessing, appeared in free union, free brotherhood, free expression of will, and crowned the centuries-old aspirations and dreams of our forefathers.
