In a few days, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew -- the foremost leader in the Eastern Orthodox Church -- is scheduled to recognize the newly founded independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Religion News website reports today (January 3, 2019).
Bartholomew plans to give the tomos, or formal decree of autocephaly, to primate Metropolitan Epiphanius in an elaborate ceremony in Istanbul that coincides with one of the most important celebrations for Orthodoxy, the Epiphany.
Unfortunately, Bartholomew's decision to create an independent Orthodox Christian Church in Ukraine has resulted in a rift between Moscow and Istanbul.
An independent Ukrainian Church undercuts Russian President Putin's plans to expand the country's power, including boosting Moscow as the so-called "Third Rome" that would become a center of the Orthodox faith.
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