Poroshenko, Ukrainian Metropolitan Observe Traditional Diving For Cross In Istanbul
Dozens of men braved the cold and jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to grab a cross flung by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of most Orthodox Christians worldwide. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Ukrainian Metropolitan Epifaniy stood by during the traditional event on January 6 which followed a mass in Istanbul's St. George's Cathedral where Bartholomew presented the head of the Ukrainian church with a decree granting it independence from the Russian Orthodox Church -- a historic split strongly opposed by Moscow.
Ukraine's Newly Independent Church Blessed In Istanbul
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has handed over a "tomos" of autocephaly to Metropolitan Epifaniy of the new Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Bartholomew presented the document at a church service in Istanbul on January 6, after signing it during a ceremony the previous day. The historic document ends more than 330 years of Russian religious control in Ukraine.
Video of the ceremony with commentary:
An interesting look at what the tomos means at ground level for Orthodox worshipers: