Photo from UNIAN

On Christmas Day, January 7, a liturgy started in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv where a tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as one of the 15 local Orthodox churches is being shown to the public.

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Leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy (Epiphanius) of Kyiv and All Ukraine and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have solemnly brought the tomos in St. Sophia's Cathedral, an UNIAN correspondent reported.

Following this, the Christmas liturgy began there.

The Ukrainian president, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy, MPs, Cabinet members, as well as representatives of Ukraine's cultural circles, chaplains, and volunteers are taking part in the general prayer.

The liturgy is headed by the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bishop Hilarion. It is expected that after this he will explain the procedure for holding services in Kyiv's stauropegion (representation).

Epifaniy, a newly-elected Metropolitan of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, will also hold a liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral.

The service began at 10:00 Kyiv time.

After the liturgy, the tomos will be transferred for public viewing to the refectory church of St. Sophia of Kyiv (Small Sofia), where everyone will be able to see it from 8:00 to 18:00, daily.

As UNIAN reported, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on January 5, 2019, signed the tomos in his residence in Istanbul, which proclaims the autocephaly of the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The tomos says that the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognizes a canonical, autocephalous, self-governing Orthodox Church within the limits of the politically formed territory of Ukraine.

The document also sets out the basic principles for the functioning of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

On January 7, the tomos will be exhibited for the public at St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv.