Presidential Candidate Slams Ukraine's Poroshenko For 'Cashing In' On Church Row

Umer Jamshaid Published January 15, 2019 | 09:21 AM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2019) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's main challenger Yulia Tymoshenko has slammed the incumbent for using the church row to prop up his slumping approval rating.

Petro Poroshenko has been touring the country with a decree he received in Istanbul from the Constantinople patriarch, granting independence to a new Orthodox Christian Church in Ukraine.

"It is a pity that the tomos has been turned into a political tool, into cash and ratings. I am against this," Tymoshenko said in a show on ICTV channel.

The former prime minister, who is leading the race for presidency, said she had always backed a separate Ukrainian Church but cautioned Poroshenko against using it to divide the country. The vote is scheduled for March 31.

The Russian Orthodox Church along with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) - the latter is the only canonical Orthodox jurisdiction in Ukraine - have refused to recognize the results of the unification council and Constantinople Patriarchate's decision.