For Kremlin officials, as well as for the Russian Orthodox Church, its branch in Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate), and pro-Russian politicians, the upcoming visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Kyiv on the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence is an issue.
UNIAN: Moscow Patriarchate plotting to hinder Bartholomew’s visit to Ukraine
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I (C), flanked by Metropolitan Epiphanius, the head of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the second from right), signs the Tomos decree of autocephaly to Ukrainian church at the Patriarchal Church of St. George on Jan. 5, 2019 in Istanbul. The creation of an Orthodox Church in Ukraine independent of Moscow ends more than 300 years of Moscow domination.
