Patriarch Kirill
Pope to Kazakhstan Sept. 13-15, may meet Russia patriarch
By Nicole Winfield — August 1, 2022
ROME (AP) — Francis and Kirill, who had a first historic encounter in Havana in 2016, have spoken by video call at least once since the war began.
UK sanctions Russian Orthodox head; decries forced adoption
By Associated Press — June 16, 2022
LONDON (AP) — Truss also targeted children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, who has been accused of enabling the taking of 2,000 vulnerable children from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine and facilitating their forced adoptions in Russia.
Russian Orthodox head escapes EU sanctions thanks to Orban
By Samuel Petrequin — June 2, 2022
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Hungarian government said sanctioning Kirill would have been inappropriate on grounds of respect for religious freedom.
Ukrainian Orthodox primate: ‘We are called to stop this evil’
By Lew Nescott Jr. — May 31, 2022
(RNS) — Epiphanius, leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, called Patriarch Kirill 'more of a state authority than a religious pastor,' and alleged that Kirill shares responsibility for war crimes with Putin.
Vatican foreign minister to visit Ukraine as pope toes delicate line
By Nicole Winfield — May 17, 2022
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Archbishop Paul Gallagher's trip comes as the Holy See toes a delicate line in trying to keep alive newly improved ties with the Russian Orthodox Church while offering support to the “martyred” Ukrainian faithful.
What a cathedral and a massive military parade show about Putin’s Russia
By Lena Surzhko Harned — May 6, 2022
(The Conversation) — World War II has a central place in Russian nationalism. Its importance is written all over a new cathedral dedicated to the armed forces.
EU reportedly mulling sanctions on Patriarch Kirill
By Jack Jenkins — May 4, 2022
(RNS) — On Tuesday, Patriarch Kirill denied that Russia’s actions in Ukraine amounted to an invasion, insisting ‘Russia has never attacked anyone.’
Will the World Council of Churches expel Kirill? We talk with Bishop Mary Ann Swenson
By Jack Jenkins — May 3, 2022
(RNS) — ‘The Orthodox community is very, very important in the World Council of Churches,’ Swenson said.
Pope Francis says NATO, ‘barking at Russia’s door,’ shares blame for Ukraine
By Claire Giangravé — May 3, 2022
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In an interview with Il Corriere della Sera, the pope said he hopes to visit Moscow and meet President Vladimir Putin.
How the war between Russia and Ukraine is roiling the faith tradition they share
By J. Eugene Clay — May 3, 2022
(The Conversation) — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put a spotlight on the views of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Dreher’s war, part 1
By Mark Silk — April 30, 2022
(RNS) — The first of two columns on how America's best-known Orthodox Christian writer looks at the war in Ukraine.
Hungary’s Orban meets pope with Ukraine war as backdrop
By Justin Spike and Nicole Winfield — April 21, 2022
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The meeting was the second between Francis and Orban in less than a year.
World Council of Churches urges Patriarch Kirill to lobby for Easter cease-fire
By Jack Jenkins — April 19, 2022
(RNS) — The letter to the Russian patriarch comes amid calls to expel him and the Russian Orthodox Church from the WCC.
World Council of Churches faces calls to expel Russian Orthodox Church
By Jack Jenkins — April 11, 2022
(RNS) — WCC head the Rev. Ioan Sauca has pushed back on the idea, but a growing chorus of Christian leaders is suggesting the group cut ties with the ROC.
For Russian priest protesting Ukraine invasion, a mixture of defiance and concern
By Jack Jenkins — April 5, 2022
(RNS) — 'If I remain silent, I’m not a priest,' said the Rev. Ioann Burdin.
