The Head of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius, met with the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Uniates), Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.
According to the official webpage of the Greek Catholic Church, during their meeting both sides were informed by a document of the Ministry of Culture that the Cathedral of Hagia Sofia at Kiev would remain closed from March 18, due to restoration works.
“We are obliged to announce that the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Hagia Sofia on April 7, 2029, shall not take place”, characteristically said the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s announcement.
It should be noted that the Uniate Archbishop had asked the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman to be granted a special permit so as to celebrate a liturgy at Hagia Sofia three times a year.
Uniate Archbishop, speaking for the expectation of the faithful of the Greek Catholic Church to pray at the Cathedral of Hagia Sofia, he stressed: “This Church is the common place of all the children of Church of the Baptism of Vladimir and the mother of all our Cathedrals. Wishing to pray in this Temple, we want to certify the kinship of our Church to our Orthodox brothers”.
During the meeting, both sides confirmed the continuous wish to reach an agreement and common service for the Ukrainian people.
From his point, Metropolitan Epiphanius pointed out that both sides approved the need for mutual understanding and cooperation, because this enhances the unity of the people of Ukraine.
“Thanks to the attempts of our predecessors, the wounds of the past have been almost healed”, Metropolitan Epiphanius characteristically claimed.
Furthermore, Metropolitan Epiphanius noted that he has repeatedly stressed the need for a dialogue between the two Churches and the continuity of the present cooperation.
“In matters of faith as well as historical issues, each side has its own opinion. These opinions at times coincide, at times oppose each other. It is wrong to overestimate these differences and underestimate them. For this reason, further dialogue is necessary – obviously a long one, at times complicated and painful”, says Metropolitan Epiphanius.
“We are open to such a dialogue, we want it to be constructive and fruitful, taking into account all the internal and external challenges for the participants”, concluded Metropolitan Epiphanius.