In his announcement, the Director of the Department of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Andrei Yurash, put the record straight.
Mr. Yurash, commenting on the statements by Patriarch Filaret, stressed that “the restoration and the restitution of the so called Patriarchate of Kiev is impossible”.
“With the decision of the United Synod, which took place on December 15, 2018, the so called Patriarchate of Kiev and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church have ceased to exist. Therefore, there can be no restoration”, emphasized the Director of the Department of Religious Affairs of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture.
According to Andrei Yurash, on May 6, 2019, the Ecumenical Patriarch, during a private visit, was firm that the Phanar supports only the new Autocephalous Church.
It should be also noted that Filaret, in his statement, has said that the Patriarchate of Kiev continues to exist and invited the Hierarchs to meet on May 14, to discuss the issue.