Pope Francis has criticised Ukraine for banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) which has historically been tied to Russia. “Let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their church” Pope Francis said. None of the warring parties have heeded the Pope’s pleas for the war to cease. Praying is Read more
Archbishop Pavel Pezzi of Moscow expressed profound sorrow and solidarity following the heinous terror attack in Moscow on Friday night. The attack, which targeted the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, resulted in the tragic loss of at least 137 lives. “Following the brutal terrorist attack in Moscow which left many people dead and injured, I Read more
On Vladimir Putin’s recent birthday, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow praised the president for being “selflessly devoted to the Fatherland, sincerely loving the Motherland and giving her all your strength, abilities and talents.” He made no mention of Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine or the war that erupted after. Read more
A meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, appears to be scrapped after the cleric, who has been widely criticised for his justifications for the invasion of Ukraine, pulled out of a meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan next month. According to Reuters, a senior Russian Orthodox official Read more
A meeting between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow planned for June has been cancelled out of concern it could cause “confusion”. And there will be no papal visit to Kyiv while war rages, Pope Francis said in an interview with the Argentine daily newspaper La Nación on 21 April. Pope Francis Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has “earned the hatred of the whole world,” according to the leader of Orthodox Christianity. “We are entering a new era of cold war,” Patriarch Bartholomew (pictured) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople said in a Turkish-language broadcast interview. “We do not know what will happen next. I Read more
Ukrainian people’s gay pride and sinful behaviour caused the Russian invasion into their country, says Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Taking to the pulpit Kirill told the people that spiritual danger justified his country’s invasion of Ukraine. Depicting the war in spiritual terms, he said, “We have entered into a struggle that has not a physical, 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
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