"This is a historic step! The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has decided to restore the Ecumenical Patriarch’s Stauropegion in Kyiv," -- the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy made a wide comment about the adoption of the draft bill No. 9208 "On peculiarities of the usage of the St Andrew's Church of the National preserve "Sophia of Kyiv"
A.Parubiy reminded that on October 11 the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate had decided to restore the stauropegion of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kyiv.
"At different times, the Ecumenical Patriarchate had up to twenty different Stauropegia throughout its canonical territory in the lands of Ukraine-Rus. Among the most famous are the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra of the Holy Assumption, the Orthodox Lviv Stauropegion Brotherhood of the Holy Assumption, the Mezhyhiria Savior-Transfiguration (Preobrazhenskyi) Monastery, the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood, the Maniavskyi Monastery," stated he.
According to him, "by this decision, the Verkhovna Rada restores the Stauropegion of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kyiv, and the St Andrew’s Church on the Andriivskyi uzviz (Andrew’s Descent) in Kyiv will be a new stauropegion, serving as a residence of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I as well as the representation of the Ecumenical Constantinople Church".
A.Parubiy stressed that "those who say in the public eye that today we hand over our state property to the Ecumenical Patriarchate are cunning by so doing, dispersing the Russian informational "playbooks".
"The St Andrew’s Church remains the property of the state. But now we are restoring historical justice and returning the Stauropegion of the Mother Church-Ecumenical Patriarchate in Kyiv. There is no inter-church conflict here," explained he.
This initiative was supported by all the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and even, in part, by the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, willing to support the Unified Local Orthodox Ukrainian Church.
A.Parubiy called on parliamentarians-patriots and statesmen to support this decision and return the representation of the Ecumenical Patriarch to Kyiv.
According to the Speaker, "this is one of the fundamental steps towards the creation of the One or Unified Local Orthodox Ukrainian Church in Ukraine and the receipt of the Tomos of Autocephaly".
A.Parubiy congratulated all the Ukrainian people and His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on this historic decision.
Worthy of note
There were 237 ayes gained for this stauropegion decision of the parliament.