Tomos of Autocephaly for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine

Background and History

The patriarchal and synodal tomos granting autocephalous status to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a canonical document published by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople in January 2019.

Prior to this, during the Constantinopolitan Synod from 9 to 11 October 2018, the Kiev metropolis was returned to the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople. This decision effectively cancelled the synodal letter of 1686 from Patriarch Dionysius IV Mouzalon, which had transferred the metropolis of Kiev to the Russian Orthodox Church for temporary management.

Content and Significance

The tomos grants the Kiev metropolis authority over bishops, priests, and Orthodox faithful in Ukraine. It also confers autocephalous status on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, making it the 15th autocephalous church within the Orthodox Church. As a result of this decision, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church gained administrative independence.

Date and Publication

The tomos was published in January 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.