ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide on Sunday presented the head of the Ukrainian church with a decree granting it independence from Moscow, a historic split strongly opposed by Russia. The decree will be displayed at the cathedral for the public to view from Monday, the church said. The Ukrainian Orthodox church has been beholden to Moscow for hundreds of years, and Ukraine's leaders see church independence as vital to tackling Russian meddling. The church known as the Moscow Patriarchate, aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, sees itself as the only legitimate church in Ukraine. It favours European integration and championed the independent church but the Moscow Patriarchate denounces it as schismatic.

Source: The Star January 06, 2019 09:56 UTC