Word To Use Today: autocephaly.

 Amongst the horror and madness in Ukraine, a new word: autocephaly.

It describes a right of an organisation to appoint its own head, and to be independent of any outside authority.

The word is most often used with reference to the Orthodox Christian churches. Some Orthodox churches in Ukraine have rejected their traditional association with the Russian Orthodox church, which has failed to condemn President Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Now the Orthodox church in Istanbul, the Constantinople Patriarchy, which is traditionally recognised as the first among all the Orthodox churches, has accepted the autocephaly of Ukrainian Orthodox churches.

And so of course the Russian Orthodox church has split with the Istanbul church. 

The whole thing would be almost comic if it didn't take place in the middle of so much tragedy.

But it does.

Word To Use Today: autocephaly. If more people had reason to use this word then the world might be a safer place. The word autocephalia is Greek. and means the property of being self-headed.