PARIS (RNS) — A decision seemed to be made, but as with most émigré politics and disputes among Eastern Orthodox churches, it got complicated.

ATHENS, Greece (RNS) — Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew’s decision to recognize an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has led to fears of a schism among Orthodox Christians.

(RNS) — The political significance of the decision was immediately clear. ‘The (Russian) empire is losing one of the last levers of influence on its former colony,’ Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Orthodox Church warned Friday that it would sever ties with the leader of the worldwide Orthodox community if he grants autonomy to Ukraine’s Orthodox Church.

MOSCOW (RNS) Both the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate have been positioning Russia as a moral bastion in contrast to Europe and the United States.

(RNS) The protests that toppled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych also a galvanized a religious awakening and may lead to a seismic shift in church-state relations.

PARIS (RNS) If all goes as planned, a golden-domed Russian Orthodox Church will flank the Seine River two years from now, a glittering symbol of Moscow’s growing spiritual and political presence abroad.