Independence of Ukrainian Orthodox Church approved by Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul
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E-mail Xinhua, January 5, 2019
ISTANBUL, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, home to the spiritual leader of the global Orthodox Church, on Saturday approved the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, has signed the document that officially recognizes the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at a ceremony attended by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said.
With the formalization of its autonomy, the Ukrainian church would break off its centuries-old ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Prior to the ceremony, Poroshenko met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan behind the closed doors.
Last month, a unification council of Ukrainian priests announced to split from Russia, approving the creation of a new unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The council also elected 39-year-old Metropolitan Epiphanius as the leader of the church.
The Kiev-Moscow ties have been declining since 2014 over Crimea, armed conflicts in eastern Ukraine and lately the Kerch Strait dispute. Enditem
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