Ecumenical Patriarch handed over "tomos" of autocephaly to the head of the Ukrainian church
Ecumenical Patriarch handed over "tomos" of autocephaly to the head of the Ukrainian church

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople handed over “tomos” of autocephaly to the head of the Ukrainian church, Metropolitan Epifaniy. The ceremony took place in St. George Church in Istanbul on January 6.

After the ceremony Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Metropolitan Epifaniy addressed the gathered people.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attended the ceremony. He described it as a historical event.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has signed a decree granting autocephaly, or independence, to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, on January 5 in Istanbul.