Ukraine’s Orthodox Church wins its independence
THE Istanbul-based Orthodox patriarch yesterday signed the formal decree confirming the creation of an independent Ukrainian church, angering Moscow by breaking with the Russian church.
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the leading authority in Orthodox Christianity, signed the decree known as Tomos at a ceremony in Istanbul.
Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president, and Viktor Yushchenko, the former president, were on hand to witness the ceremony. “Dear Ukrainians, this is a historic event! This is a great day!” Mr Poroshenko said.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate first agreed to recognise the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in October. Then last month a historic council of Orthodox bishops in Kiev created the independent body.
The Russian Orthodox Church cut ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate in protest at the move, which dealt a huge blow to Moscow’s spiritual authority in the Orthodox world.
Vladimir Legoida, a spokesman for the Moscow church, denounced the decree as “a document that is the result of irrepressible political and personal ambitions”.
Nikolai Balashov, a senior official for the Russian Orthodox Church, hit out at Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, saying he had “ended the global Orthodox fraternity and permanently lost the right to be called a spiritual leader”.
Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Kiev street protests urging Ukrainian integration with Europe led to the ousting of proMoscow president Viktor Yanukovych.