Istanbul synod convenes for Ukrainian church
first day of a three-day meeting yesterday, the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate convened to approve an official decree granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church self-rule, a move that Russia has stood firmly against.
THE SYNOD of the Ecumenical Patriarchate started yesterday in Istanbul in bid to approve an official decree, called a “tomos,” granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church an autocephaly.
Under the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the patriarchate announced in October that it would grant autocephaly, or independence, to the Ukrainian Church, a move Russia has long campaigned against. The decision ended more than 300 years of Moscow’s control over Orthodox churches in Ukraine and affects millions of believers in Russia and Ukraine.
In a three-day meeting, the Istanbulbased Ecumenical Patriarchate is expected to announce the exact date when the Unification Council of the Orthodox churches of Ukraine will convene in Ukraine. The Unification Council, set to meet in December, the representatives of Ukraine’s Orthodox churches will choose the patriarch of Kyiv and announce officially the creation of a single Ukrainian Orthodox Church, independent of Russia.
In the biggest split in modern Orthodox history, the Russian Orthodox Church decided to sever all relations with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate in protest over its endorsement of Ukraine’s request for an independent church. The religious schism between the Istanbul Patriarchate and Moscow Church marks an important new facet for the rift between Russia and Ukraine, who have become bitter enemies since the annexation of Crimea.
Since Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the en- suing conflict with pro-Russia separatists in east Ukraine, Kiev has been wary of the influence of the Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who is an avid supporter of the Kremlin’s policies. Ukraine’s government had lobbied strongly for autocephaly as part of a larger break from Russian influence. The issue has played a key role in Ukraine’s March 2019 presidential elections, with incumbent President Petro Poroshenko making independence from the Russian Orthodox Church a key issue as he plans a re-election bid.