... based in countries recognized as having committed armed aggression against Ukraine. This creates legal grounds to prosecute and dissolve parishes and dioceses of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate solely because of their canonical communion with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), even though the Council of the UOC proclaimed the “full autonomy and independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” on May 27, 2022. The law does not directly mandate the dissolution of the UOC, but only because it does ...
... actor, not just a beneficiary. Currently, the Vatican has its own Religious Freedom Report (RFR) to guide Catholic organizations. Setting eyes on the example of Western denominations as its diplomatic partners in the second half of the 20th century, the Russian Orthodox Church embarked upon a similar path, opening its representative offices at European international organizations in Strasbourg and Brussels. However, no serious exchange came out of it; the dialogue ended, having barely begun, because ...
... parishes of the so-called diaspora (that is, the parishes outside the territories of local Churches), and in 1923, he attempted to hold and chair a “Pan-Orthodox Congress.” Moreover, same year, taking advantage of the difficult situation of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), Meletius II hastened to spread his influence on its territory as well. He took the Orthodox population of Estonia and Finland under the governance of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and also interfered in the affairs ...
2016 will inevitably be a very special year in the modern history of Christianity: on February 12, a truly landmark meeting was held between the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Pope in Cuba; and in June, the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church will take place.
The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia will hardly have a better time to play the “meeting of the millennium” card....
... landmark meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis took place at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana on February 12, 2016. A meeting of this kind has been unprecedented in the history of relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Growing differences in doctrinal theology and policies led to the split in once united Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054 and to establishing its Eastern and Western branches. The Russian Orthodox Church became autocephalous ...
... spread of religious violence and intolerance; the importance of this message in Pope Francis’ views could not be exaggerated. A positive atmosphere in relations between the Holy See and the Kremlin could favor Vatican’s steps towards the Russian Orthodox Church. It is obvious that both Russia and the Vatican have compelling reasons to manage a dialogue and understand each other. All this is not enough to state that a new Vatican
Ostpolitik
is in the making but the Pope could indeed ...
