After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church publicly embraced the war, sparking a crisis of conscience for priests and parishioners alike.

The recent transfer of Andrei Rublev’s world-famous Trinity icon to the Russian Orthodox Church illustrates the Kremlin’s superstitions and desire to give its war against Ukraine a spiritual foundation.

By using force to try to keep the splintering parts of the once-unified ROC together, Patriarch Kirill is only driving them away.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has declared full independence from the Moscow Patriarchate, but for now that independence is recognized only by itself.

Increased coronavirus infection rates among Russian churchgoers could seriously damage attitudes toward Orthodoxy for a long time. The state has also seen for itself that the church is unable to deal with its own flock.

An open letter written by Russian Orthodox priests in defense of those imprisoned over recent protests in Moscow is that rare case when the use of the word “unprecedented” is no exaggeration. It’s the first time ever that the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church have taken collective action that was not sanctioned by the church authorities.