World Patriarch Bartholomew calls on heads of autocephalous churches to recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.

“The realization of all [our] efforts is expected on January 6, day of the Epiphany, on which we intend to grant the Tomos of autocephaly and concelebrate with the primate of the autocephalous Orthodox church [of Ukraine],” states Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his letter to the patriarchs and archbishops of the autocephalous Orthodox churches.

“We inform You [of the situation in Ukraine] expressing our brotherly trust in Your Beatitude and knowing very well the will and expressed desire of Ukraine… [as well as] the responsibility the church of Constantinople bears in solving all ecclesiastical issues… You will agree with these efforts… and will recognize the Ukrainian church as an autocephalous church… commemorating the name of the metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine during the diptychs, immediately after the name of His Beatitude the archbishop of Czechia and Slovakia,” the World Patriarch says in the letter published on the orthodoxia.info.

Patriarch Bartholomew calls upon the primates to proceed with recognition, stressing that “Should we choose to ignore our brethren who are experiencing moments of agony in Ukraine, we will not have any justification [to give] on the Day of Judgment before the fearsome, single, and just throne of the Judge of the souls and hearts of all people, our just Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”