Patriarch Bartholomew Signs Decree Granting Independence To Ukrainian Church
- By AP News Agency and
- Reuters
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople signed a decree on January 5 granting autocephaly, or independence, to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, ending more than 330 years of Russian religious control in Ukraine. The ceremony in Istanbul, which is considered the spiritual headquarters of Orthodox Christianity, was attended by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.