Putin has changed my prayer! When the Kremlin-initiated military operation began in February, I was looking at several television networks (BBC, Al Jazeera, DW) in horror at what was happening over the following weeks through March and April. I found myself in tears, shocked and aghast at how people could inflict such devastation on their Read more
Amid talk of whether Vladimir Putin would leave the G20 early and numerous reports of frosty encounters between him and other summit leaders, Western media coverage has generally operated from the sometimes forcefully expressed underlying assumption that the West is dealing with an erratic and dangerous dictator whose rule damages the once-great country he leads. Read more
We appear to have reached one of those extraordinary moments in history when people everywhere, communities and even entire nations, feel increasingly stressed and vulnerable. The same may be said of the planet as a whole. Whether intellectually or intuitively, many are asking the same question: Where are we heading? How do we explain the Read more
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 25. Details are not yet in place, however the meeting comes at a time when the Catholic Church seeks to improve ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Relations between Russia and the Vatican have been fraught since the 1991 breakup Read more
Pope Francis has written to Vladimir Putin criticising world leaders for standing by while a “senseless massacre” unfolded in Syria. In a letter sent on Sept 4 to Mr Putin in his role of host of the G20 conference, and published on Thursday, Francis wrote: “It is regrettable that, from the very beginning of the Read more
He quells the opposition with force, but Patriarch Kirill sees him as a “gift from heaven.” The alliance between throne and altar becomes an obstacle in the path towards ecumenism According to the opposition Putin is a despot, but Patriarch Kirill sees him as a gift from heaven. While the country’s leader harshly clamps down on public Read more