Reaction as Ukraine Orthodox splits from Russia
520 views · Published 20 December 2018 · 2:26 · Indexed 27 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(15 Dec 2018) Ukrainian Orthodox leaders on Saturday approved the creation of a unified church independent of the Moscow Patriarchate and elected a Metropolitan Epiphanius, a 39-year-old bishop from the Kiev Patriarchate, as new leader. Reactions to the formation of the new church were mixed among residents in the Ukrainian capital. "This is a great achievement of our state. We are getting independence not only in terms of sovereignty, but religious independence as well," student Pavlo Slepchenko told the Associated Press. Roman, a Kiev resident said, "frankly speaking, I don't think much will change. And I don't care." "Ukraine spent a 300 year-long time to achieve this. I hope that the creation of the new Independent Ukrainian Church will bring true political independence for Ukraine," another resident, Yarosalv Bondar, told the AP. The vote, which was held Saturday at a closed-door synod in Kiev's St. Sophia Cathedral, is certain to anger authorities in Russia. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has made the creation of the new churhc a key campaign issue, and on Saturday stressed that Ukraine had seized "spiritual independence, which can be likened to political independence." He added that an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was now a matter of national security. The Russian Orthodox Church has protested vigorously against Kiev's attempts to create an independent church Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/927f58fb79e60e8d8c127551ae61d2e4
