Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said today that the Ecumenical (Constantinopolitan) Patriarchate has approved a decree granting independence to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church.
In a televised address, Poroshenko said that the Ukrainian church had gained full independence.
Ukrainian parishes will now gather to formally agree on the structure of the new church.
The Ukrainian church has been formally subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church (RPC) for centuries, and Poroshenko, who will fight for a new mandate next year, has made the independence of the church one of his major goals.
The Russian government and the PRC strongly oppose this.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is considered "first among equals" among Orthodox church leaders, took the first big step towards granting independence to the Ukrainian church earlier this year.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul has prepared a draft charter on the establishment of an independent church in Ukraine.
Reuters assesses that this is a step leading to the severing of centuries-old ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, which Kiev believes is of key importance in stopping Moscow's interference in Ukraine.
"The Holy Synod has prepared a draft of the Charter on the establishment of the Ukrainian Church," reads the statement published by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
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