Estonia: Lawmakers look to make country’s Orthodox church cut ties with Moscow
DAVID I KLEIN, of Religion News Service, reports that bill proponents argue it would prevent extremism, while critics say it could worsen tensions between ethnic Estonians and ethnic Russians…
Bulgaria: Orthodox Church is electing a new leader and a new relationship with the world
DAVID I KLEIN, of Religion News Service, reports that the next patriarch will likely be remembered for how he addresses modernity and the wider Orthodox world…
Estonia tells its top Russian Orthodox clergyman to leave the country
Reuters Estonia has told the head of its branch of the Russian Orthodox Church to leave the country, calling him a threat to national security, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Thursday. Valeri Reshetnikov, who heads the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as Metropolitan Eugene, was refused an extension of his residence permit […]
Orthodox Church: Ukrainian churches purge vestiges of Russian influence
For centuries, Orthodox Ukrainians saw the traditional Julian calendar as one of the anchors of their church’s identity. Now many are switching to the Gregorian calendar. MEAGAN SALIASHVILI reports for Religion News Service…
Russian Patriarch reminds Africans of advantages in following Kremlin’s lead
RNS Meeting with African leaders late last month, Russian Patriarch Kirill boasted of the continued expansion of the Russian Orthodox Church in their countries, paralleling the strategy of the leaders’ host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, to expand Kremlin influence across the continent. The Moscow Patriarchate said it had almost doubled its size in Africa since […]
Russian Orthodox head appeals against eviction of church from Kyiv
Reuters Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on Saturday asked Pope Francis and other religious leaders to persuade Ukraine to stop a crackdown against a historically Russian-aligned wing of the church. Kyiv on Friday ordered the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to leave a monastery complex where it is based, the latest move against a […]
Ukraine reclaims Kyiv cathedral amid church dispute
Kyiv, Ukraine AP The Ukrainian Government has taken the main cathedral of the revered historic monastery from the church previously affiliated with Moscow’s patriarchate and allowed its Ukrainian rival to use it for Orthodox Christmas services. The move comes as the long-running tensions between the two churches exacerbated amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. A bird flies […]
Church under pressure: Scrutiny of Ukraine church draws praise, fear of overreach
PETER SMITH and VASILISA STEPANENKO, of Associated Press, report on the ongoing scrutiny of churches in Ukraine…
A divided church: With searches, Ukraine focuses suspicions on Orthodox clergy
HANNA ARHIROVA and PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, report that this week’s search by Ukrainian security services and police at Pechersk Lavra monastery, one of the most revered Orthodox sites in Kyiv, was unusual but did not happen in isolation…
Ukraine searches monastic complex, prompts anger in Moscow
Kyiv, Ukraine AP Ukraine’s counter-intelligence service, police officers and the country’s National Guard on Tuesday searched one of the most famous Orthodox Christian sites in the capital, Kyiv, after a priest spoke favourably about Russia – Ukraine’s invader – during a service. The search of the Pechersk Lavra monastic complex was highly unusual. Its cathedral, […]