MINSK, Belarus — The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday called on the United Nations, the leaders of Germany and France, the pope, and other spiritual leaders to protect believers in Ukraine in the face of pressure on Moscow-affiliated clerics.
Ukraine’s Orthodox clerics will gather for a meeting today that is expected to form a new, independent Ukrainian church, and Ukrainian authorities have ramped up pressure on priests to support the move. The Ukrainian church has been part of the Russian church for centuries, while enjoying broad autonomy, but Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has pushed for the creation of an independent church.
The newly formed community would then be expected to receive independence from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Istanbul-based institution considered the “first among equals” of leaders of the world’s Orthodox Churches. Ukrainian authorities have portrayed Russian Orthodox priests in Ukraine as supporting Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
A Section on 12/15/2018