Caught up in the escalation, will Vladimir Putin dare to resort to nuclear strikes? If he gives in to this ultimate vertigo, he will not fail to invoke Seraphim of Sarov, the Slavic Francis of Assisi whom Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow, consecrated as patron saint of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. A controversial characteristic? The two potentates Read more
“May the Lord preserve the Russian land… A land which now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and peoples.” A Sunday sermon with very political overtones. It was delivered on February 27 at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. The 75-year-old Read more
Pope Francis said Monday there were plans for a possible second meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, after their historic 2016 encounter in Cuba became a landmark in mending relations severed by the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity. Francis said he planned to meet next week with the Russian church’s foreign envoy Read more
A Russian court on Tuesday fined a coronavirus-denying monk who has challenged Kremlin lockdown orders for spreading false information about the pandemic. The court in the Ural Mountains region ordered Father Sergiy to pay 90,000 rubles ($1,250). The 65-year-old monk, who has attracted nationwide attention by urging followers to disobey church leadership and ignore church Read more
Russian Orthodox churches in Europe are preparing to reconnect with Moscow after nearly 90 years under the protection of Constantinople. An extraordinary General Assembly of 186 members met in Paris Sept. 7 to decide whether to reconnect with the Russian Orthodox Church, which they left in 1931 because of persecution under Stalin’s anti-religious policy. This Read more
The Russian Orthodox Church says it is being forced to split from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Metropolitan Ilarion, the head of the Russian Orthodox church’s external relations, says Constantinople’s decision allowing the Ukranian Orthodox church to establish itself as an independent church is behind the move. Ilarion says the Constantinople Patriarchate synod’s decision to Read more
A man is facing jail for “inciting religious hatred” after making a video of himself playing Pokemon Go inside a Russian Orthodox church. The footage, which has been watched 1.7 million times on YouTube, shows the man describing Jesus as “the rarest Pokemon”. Read more
Catholic and Russian Orthodox relations will take a further step forward this week. Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill are meeting in Switzerland to resume discussions they began last year in Havana. At last year’s meeting, the Catholic and Orthodox leaders discussed Christian brotherhood and unity. This year they will talk about progress and Read more
Hundreds of tonnes of food from Western nations have been destroyed in Russia as part of campaign ordered by President Vladimir Putin. The destruction has caused an outcry from anti-poverty campaigners who say the food should have been given to the poor A petition against the action on change.org has already attracted more than 300,000 Read more
Imagine if the pope were invited to address a summit of Protestant leaders, and used the platform to take a swipe at Italy’s tiny Waldensian Protestant church — complaining that it tries to convert Catholics, and demanding that it shut up about the separation of church and state. Protestants would rightly howl about how crude Read more