18 Oct 2018 14:19

Transfer of St. Andrew's Church to Constantinople to speed up granting of autocephaly to Ukrainian church - Poroshenko

KYIV. Oct 18 (Interfax) - The transfer of St. Andrew's Church in Kyiv to the Constantinople Patriarchate for the work of its representative office will speed up the issuance of a tomos of autocephaly to the Ukrainian church, according to President Petro Poroshenko.

"Ukraine is now resuming its active communication with world Orthodox Christianity. A representative office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is the Mother Church, will help strengthen such ties and provide support for Ukraine as an independent local Orthodox church is created," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

St. Andrew's Church in Kyiv will be transferred to St. Andrew's See of Constantinople for the operation of its representative office, he wrote.

"Today we've taken one more step toward our goal, which is to receive the tomos of autocephaly. I would like to thank the Verkhovna Rada for supporting my bill to this effect," Poroshenko wrote.

Poroshenko had submitted to the Rada a bill on granting the Constantinople Patriarchate the use of the church.

St. Andrew's Church was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754 and built on the right bank of the Dnieper, on St. Andrew's Mount, in the Baroque style. Below it is St. Andrew's Descent, which connects the upper part of the city to the lower part.

The church currently belongs to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.