Patriarch Bartholomew hands over tomos to Orthodox Church of Ukraine

The ceremony to hand over a tomos of autocephaly to the united Orthodox Church of Ukraine has taken place at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Ukrinform's correspondent in Turkey has said.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave the document to Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius.

On Saturday, January 5, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed a tomos (decree) of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. According to the document, the Ecumenical Patriarchate proclaims the autocephalous church established within Ukraine to be its spiritual daughter with a department in Kyiv.

On April 17, 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for the first time announced an official request to the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant autocephaly to Ukraine. The decision to grant a tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was adopted by the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on October 11.

The Russian Orthodox Church and the leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate refused to recognize the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and resisted the process. However, on November 3, Poroshenko and Bartholomew signed an agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople.

On December 15, the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv hosted a unification council of orthodox churches in Ukraine. At this council, the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church created a single local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, approved its charter and elected the primate - Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius.