Kharkiv autocephalists ask to join the Unia

On April 5, the council of the so-called Kharkiv-Poltava diocese of the UAOC (renewed) was held at Kharkov's St. Dmitry church. The delegates of the council appealed to the Pope and confirmed their intention to join the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. This is reported on the website of the diocese.

The delegates turned to Pope Francis with a letter in which they confirmed their intention to enter the union with the UGCC. The council meeting, in addition to the autocephalists, was attended by the Uniate head, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

The participants of the council also decided to go on a pilgrimage to the main cult center of Ukrainian Greek Catholics - the religious complex in Zarvanitsa (Ternopil region) – in July this year.

The UAOC (o) is a small religious association in Ukraine (about 30 parishes), referring to non-canonical Orthodoxy. It was formed in 2003 as a result of the division of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

On April 4, 2015, a dialogue with the leadership of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on "the achievement of Eucharistic communication and administrative unity of the KPE UAOC with the UGCC" was initiated.