A photograph from the cathedral of
Holy Wisdom, where the
council is occurring on 15 December, was posted by the press
secretary of the
head of state, Sviatoslav Tsegolko.
POROSHENKO SEATED IN "PRESIDIUM" AT UNIFICATION COUNCIL
Ukrainskaia Pravda, 15 December 2018
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is attending in the capacity of a guest at the unification council.
A photograph from the cathedral of
Holy Wisdom, where the
council is occurring on 15 December, was posted by the press
secretary of the
head of state, Sviatoslav Tsegolko.
As seen in the photo, Poroshenko is sitting at a table of the "presidium," next to the exarchs and Metropolitan of Gaul Emmanuel, the agent of the ecumenical patriarch who is heading up the work of the council, and Filaret and Makary.
To the president's right are seated the exarchs of Constantinople, Archbishop Daniel and Bishop Ilarion. To the left of Metropolitan Filaret and Makary are seated UPTsMP Metropolitan of Vinnytsia Simeon and the exarch of the patriarch of Constantinople in Greece, Metropolitan of Adrianople Amphilochios.
Representatives of the UPTsMP, Metropolitan of Pereiaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnev Alexander and also Metropolitan of Vinnytsia and Barskoe Simeon, are attending the council.
The report about the registration of representatives of the UPTsMP at the council was made by UPTsKP Archpriest Bogdan Timoshenko, who published a photo on his Facebook page.
We note that cell phone and internet service is not available on the territory of Kievan Sophia.
As a Ukrainskaia Pravda correspondent notes, none of the dozens of journalists has managed to send information or to telephone any of the delegates of the council for several hours. According to some information, all bishops were asked to surrender cell phones before entering the cathedral for participation in the council.
We recall that on 15 December in Kiev, a unification council is being conducted, whose 192 delegates will elect a primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Participants in the council include church hierarchs, priests, and laity who represent three Orthodox churches existing in Ukraine, the UPTsKP, UAPTs, and UPTsMP.
According to information of the Kiev patriarchate, the first two churches are participating in the council at the level of their Bishops' Councils, and the UPTsMP is reprensted by individual representatives of the episcopate, clergy, and laity. (tr. by PDS, posted 15 December 2018—5:00 p.m. Kiev time)
PETRO POROSHENKO ADDRESSED COUNCIL PARTICIPANTS: "THE FUTURE OF UKRAINE DEPENDS ON YOU"
Today Petro Poroshenko, speaking in the cathedral of Holy Wisdom, where the unification council is occurring, wished its participants fruitful work.
"I appeal immediately to all of you, council participants, the hierarchs of the churches. This is a colossal responsibility that lies on you in these hours. The government, I stress, has done all it could. Now it on you and only on you that the future of Ukraine depends, the future of our great nation, our freedom, our political and spiritual independence. You have to adopt a charter. You have to elect a primate, and the tomos already awaits the primate in the Phanar. And so, everything depends on your ability to agree, on your ability to listen to one another, to listen for Ukraine's sake," the president urged.
In his speech before council participants, Poroshenko recalled how the process of creating a local church began. And today, the president said, the last step in the "thousand-year history of a great dream" is being made.
The president again thanked Patriarch Bartholomew for his wisdom and courage in making the decision to grant a tomos for the church in Ukraine. (tr. by PDS, posted 15 December 2018)
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