Amid the turmoil that has engulfed the Orthodox Church over the contentious issue of the Ukrainian Church’s independence from Moscow, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios arrived in Greece on Friday, where he is expected to hold a service Saturday with Greek Archbishop Ieronymos.

According to church sources, the two men will commemorate the name of Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev, despite Moscow’s threat on Thursday that it will sever ties with Ieronymos if he does.

The decision by Vartholomaios, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox, to grant Kiev independence earlier in the year has been backed by Ieronymos but fiercely opposed by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who as a result cut ties with Vartholomaios