Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church established in 2018 and recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2019.
Unification Council of the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine: A December 2018 assembly that united two Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdictions and elected Epiphanius as head of the new church. The council established the church and elected its first primate.
Autocephaly: The status of an Orthodox church that governs itself independently of another church's primate. This is the defining status the church received in 2019.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate): A Ukrainian Orthodox church historically linked to the Moscow Patriarchate and distinct from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It is the principal rival jurisdiction within Ukraine.
Religion in Ukraine: The diverse religious life of Ukraine, including Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim communities. The new church became a major institution within Ukraine's religious landscape.
Tomos of autocephaly: A formal ecclesiastical decree granting a church independent self-governing status. The Ecumenical Patriarchate's January 2019 tomos formally granted the church autocephaly.
Eastern Orthodox Church: A communion of self-governing Christian churches sharing Orthodox theology, worship, and sacramental life. The church belongs to this wider communion, whose members differ over its recognition.
Russian Orthodox Church: The largest Eastern Orthodox church, headed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. It rejects Constantinople's actions concerning Ukraine and severed communion with it.
Orthodox Church of Ukraine–Ukrainian Orthodox Church relations: Relations between Ukraine's two largest Orthodox jurisdictions, marked by competition, dialogue, and contested property transfers. Their rivalry shapes parish affiliations and the prospects for church unity.
Epiphanius I of Ukraine: The metropolitan who became primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine at its founding in 2018. His election at the Unification Council made him the church's first leader.
Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology: The theological understanding of the church, its authority, and relations among local Orthodox churches. Disputes about primacy and jurisdiction shape debate over the church's status.