The spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide on Jan. 6 presented the head of the Ukrainian church with a decree granting it independence from Moscow, a historic split strongly opposed by Russia.
Reuters: Ecumenical Patriarch hands over decree, sealing Ukraine church independence
This handout picture taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on Jan. 5, 2019 shows Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I signing the "Tomos" decree of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchal Church of St George in Istanbul.
