Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has signed the Tomos for the Ukrainian Church in the Patriarch's St George Cathedral in Istanbul, according to UNN.
The signing ceremony was preceded by a prayer in the cathedral.
The document is expected to be handed to Ukrainian Church Primate Epifaniy at 8.30 a.m. on 6 January. A festive Christmas prayer will follow.
Apart from Epifaniy, the Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul includes President Petro Poroshenko and parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy.