The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko signed the law for the transfer of the St. Andreas Church in Kiev to the Istanbul Patriarchate for permanent use.
The bill was brought to parliament by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. In the parliamentary vote of 18 October, the draft law was adopted by the votes of 237 deputies.
As QHA reported, the Patriarchate of Istanbul will use the St. Andreas Church in the condition of protecting it as a Ukrainian cultural heritage and according to the country’s legislation. Because the Church of St. Andreas belongs to the state and it is a good of the cultural heritage according to the law.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, during his visit to Turkey on 3-4 November at the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople signed a cooperation agreement for the process of the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church.