Newly elected head receives decree of autocephaly in elaborate ceremony in IstanbulThe biggest rift in Christianity in centuries is expected to open up after a new Orthodox church in Ukraine gained formal independence from Moscow in a move set to heighten geopolitical tensions in the region.The newly elected head of the Ukrainian Orthodox church travelled to Istanbul to receive the “tomos”, or decree of autocephaly (independence), from the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, in an elaborate ceremony in St George’s Cathedral on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas. Related: Ukraine-Russia tensions reach Greece’s holy Mount Athos Related: Russian Orthodox …read more
Source: The Guardian
