[33] The head of the Ukrainian Department of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Culture, Andriy Yurash, clarified: "These two terms [the UOC and the OCU] will be used as synonymous and this is expressly agreed with the Phanar.

During 14-16th century, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth expanded into Western territories of former Kievan Rus', taking control of Kyiv and promoting Catholic influence, that ultimately led to the Union of Brest in 1596.

Due to the Battle of Poltava, when Charles XII of Sweden's and Hetman Mazepa's armies were defeated by Peter I of Russia, the constitution never came into power.

In this form, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church existed until 1936 when, due to Soviet pressure, it was liquidated, with some of its members emigrating to the United States.

The Tomos was then put on display in the refectory church of Saint Sophia's Cathedral in perpetuity, and exposed for the public and tourists to view daily.

On 17 December 2018, the statement of the Synodal Department of the military clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was quoted by mass media as saying that the Federal Security Service of Russia, along with members of the Moscow Patriarchate, had created mobile groups to prevent communities in Ukraine from switching from the UOC-MP to the OCU, such groups being present in each diocese of the UOC-MP and composed of a lawyer and several brawny men.

[1][124] Among other things, the Council of Bishops made a decision to "urge the Honorable Patriarch Filaret and his followers to seek reconciliation and end self-isolation".

[118] According to the OCU's Statute, the highest governing body of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is its Local Council, which is an assembly of clergy and laity (Article 2, paragraph 1).

For the duration of the transitional period, three permanent members of the Synod have been appointed: the former Primates of the UOC-KP (Filaret) and the UAOC (Makariy), and the former UOC-MP Metropolitan Symeon (Shostatsky).

[159] On 6 January, after the OCU had received its tomos, President Poroshenko declared: "His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew already has a special place in the history of Ukraine.

He made this declaration at the Christmas liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv where the tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was shown to the public.

[164][165] On 17 December 2018, it was reported that the Federal Security Service of Russia, along with members of the Moscow Patriarchate, allegedly had created mobile groups to prevent communities in Ukraine from switching from the UOC-MP to the OCU.

[168][169] On 6 November 2019, following the talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, shortly after the Moscow Patriarchate severed communion with the Church of Greece in retaliation to the latter's recognition of the OCU, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference that he believed that the OCU's recognition was predicated on the efforts of the U.S. Government and personally secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

[175]Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was quoted by Dmitry Sablin, member of a delegation of the Russian parliament, as saying: "Attempts to divide believers are one of the most serious challenges not only for you, but also for us.

[200] The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos II told the media that the Synod of the Hierarchy would discuss Ukraine at its session to be held on 19–20 March 2019.

[212] On 7 October 2019,[213][214][215] "a day before the start of the proceedings of the Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece, [the Archbishop of Athens] informed in a letter the Body of Hierarchs that he would add another extraordinary meeting this coming Saturday regarding exclusively the Ukrainian issue.

[223][224] According to news media reports, it had been tentatively expected that the formal act of recognition of the OCU would take place on 19 October "in Thessaloniki where Archbishop Ieronymos and Metropolitan Epiphanius w[ould] possibly concelebrate the Divine Liturgy.

[231][232][233] A spokesman of the Moscow Patriarchate contested the interpretation of the concelebration as recognition of the OCU by the Church of Greece pointing up the fact that Epiphanius' name was not said directly by the Archbishop.

[238][239] On 10 December 2019, the former Minister of Defence in the Alexis Tsipras government, Panos Kammenos, admitted that he had put pressure to bear on Archbishop Ieronymos II by telling him, when in office, that Russia would withdraw what he called "guarantees" to Greece to preclude occupation by Turkey of Greek islands such as Kastellorizo, Lemnos and others in the Eastern Aegean in the event that the Church of Greece recognised the Church of Ukraine before the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Alexandria did so.

[255] In an interview published by the Cypriot newspaper Politis in mid‐December 2019, Archbishop Chrysostomos II criticised the three bishops of his Church, namely Athanasios Nikolaou of Limassol, Nikiphoros Kykkotis of Kykkos, and Isaias Kykkotis of Tamassos, for having derogated from the decision he said had been made by the Synod of the Church of Cyprus that committed her to neutrality on the issue of Ukraine, by making public statements in support of Moscow.

[259] On 24 October 2020, the primate of the Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, commemorated Epiphanius of Ukraine during the Divine Liturgy, thus recognising the OCU.

[296] Concerning the formation of the OCU, the Seventh-day Adventist Church "takes a positive stance towards all the movements and activities that have served the unification of people, the search for ways of peaceful coexistence and understanding".

[297] Rabbi Oleksandr, head of the Religious Association of Progressive Judaism Communities of Ukraine,[298] congratulated Orthodox Ukrainians for the receiving of the tomos of autocephaly.

For example, during the celebration of Easter 2019 in St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral, a bell rang, written and performed by students of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.

[303] On 20 May 2019, Metropolitan of Cherkasy and Chyhyryn OCU Ioan (Yaremenko) announced that membership in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is being introduced "on an applicant basis".

[305][306] Reacting to the decision of Metropolitan Mykhailo of Lutsk and Volyn (some other bishops took the same initiative) to celebrate Christmas twice, on 25 December and 7 January, the Holy Synod of the OCU decided on 4 February 2020, that: When some Orthodox in Ukraine are under the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate, and taking into account the experience of 'old calendar schisms' in other Local Churches ... ill-considered and hasty implementation of the current calendar reform in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine may lead to the consolidation of existing divisions and the emergence of new ones.However, the Synod of the OCU allowed to perform on 25 December[neutrality is disputed] with the blessing of the ruling bishop prayers with the akathist at Christmas and carols.

[308]On October 18, 2022, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine allowed dioceses to hold Christmas services according to the Revised Julian calendar, i.e., December 25[neutrality is disputed].

[309] On December 24, 2022, during an audience, Major archbishop Sviatoslav handed over to Metropolitan Epiphanius for review a letter outlining the considerations of the UGCC hierarchs regarding the calendar reform.

The traditional following of the epiclesis, ie "the invocation of the grace of the Holy Spirit on the offered Gifts", was restored, according to the practice that existed in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine until the 16th century.

[326] On the eve of the enthronement of Metropolitan Epiphanius, an initiative group of priests and laity of the OCU published a document with ten proposals for the agenda for the newly established autocephalous Church, which would help it better carry out its vocation in today's circumstances.