Russian hackers have spent years trying to steal private correspondence from some of the world’s most senior Orthodox Christians, the Associated Press (AP) says. The hackers, known as Fancy Bear, have targeted top aides to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who is the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians. Batholomew himself does not Read more
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk wants Pope St John Paul II to be the patron the Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation. Shevchuk, who is the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church says “Ukrainians do not know Poles, their pains, aspirations, ambitions, as well as Poles do not know Ukrainians. “That is why an exchange and a dialogue is essential. Read more
Ukrainian Catholics are excluded from the Religious Council in the Crimea. The Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014. Its new rules for religious organizations are similar to Russian religious policies. The new regulations say only “traditional” religions, including Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are allowed on the Council. Read more
Ukrainian Christians are facing violence with a unified front. “To overcome conflicts, to fight hatred with goodness, and to make Ukraine a free and European country: these are the tasks of the Catholic Church in Ukraine”, according to a priest with knowledge of the situation. Christians in Ukraine are facing a difficult experience. Despite the Read more
Pope Francis has called on parishes across Europe on Sunday to give donations to the victims of the conflict in Ukraine. The pontiff on Sunday announced that there will be special collections on April 24 in all European Catholic churches to “alleviate the material needs” of all who are suffering “the consequences of the violence” Read more
Pope Francis has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to make a “sincere and great effort” to achieve peace in the Ukraine. When Mr Putin met the Pope at the Vatican on Wednesday, he was received with full honours and regalia, including a ceremonial Swiss Guard welcome. Pope Francis seemed stiff and exceptionally formal when he Read more
The Catholic Church in Russian-occupied Crimea fears it will lose its legal status after failing to meet a deadline for re-registering under Russian law. Failure to meet the March 1 deadline could mean liquidation for the Church, said Ukraine’s Religious Freedom Institute in a statement. The requirement to re-register was designed to force clergy and Read more
As the current conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine continue to dominate international headlines, it is worth stepping back and taking a longer view. The forces fighting Israel are essentially the same as those trying to remove Bashar al-Assad in Syria and those seeking to take over Afghanistan on the borders with Russia – radical Sunni Read more
An Australian Sister of the Sacred Heart, Sr Philomene Tiernan, was one of the 298 people killed in an airliner allegedly shot down over the Ukraine on July 17. Both sides in Ukraine’s civil conflict – the Government and pro-Russian separatists – have accused each other of downing Malaysia Airlines MH17 with a missile. Sr Read more
While pro-Russian and pro-Western media have been spinning the Crimea crisis as either a heroic exercise in righting a past wrong or a land grab by a new Hitler, the legal position is far from straightforward. Crimea was once an independent Tatar khanate, captured by Russia in the 18th century. The Tatars were deported by Read more