The recently established Orthodox Church of Ukraine gained official independence on Jan. 6, receiving the signed decree of autocephaly, or “tomos,” from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I in Saint George’s Cathedral in Istanbul. The Ukrainian church is now the 15th officially recognized Eastern Orthodox church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Bartholomew I signed Ukraine’s tomos in Istanbul on Jan. 5. The official document will be brought to Kyiv and put on display in Saint Sofia Cathedral on Jan. 7.
Instead of three Orthodox churches in Ukraine, of which only the one subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate was a recognized canonic body, Ukrainians will now have one fully independent national church headed by Metropolitan Epiphanius, who was elected as head at the unification council in Kyiv on Dec. 15.
Other canonic churches are now entitled to officially recognize the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, while the canonic churches of Russia, Poland and Serbia have stated that they will not recognize Ukrainian independence.
The Russian Orthodox Church accused Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople of invading its canonical territory and decided to cut religious ties on Oct. 15.
The creation of an Orthodox church in Ukraine ends more than 300 years of dominance of the Moscow-based church.
