Search results
Apr 10, 2024 · Kirill’s support for Russia’s brutal behavior—the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the bloody proxy war in eastern Ukraine—had made him a hated figure, and had helped boost support in Kyiv for...
May 29, 2022 · Russian Patriarch Kirill has said he understands a decision by the Russian Orthodox Church's branch in Ukraine to cut ties amid Moscow's invasion of its eastern neighbor.
May 21, 2022 · As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfolded, Patriarch Kirill I, the leader of the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church, had an awkward Zoom meeting with Pope Francis. The two religious leaders...
Feb 9, 2024 · Moscow Patriarch Kirill, head of the world’s largest Orthodox Christian Church whose clout transcends Russia’s borders to believers in former Soviet republics and diasporas, has defended the...
- The Young Priest Who Became Disillusioned with The West
- How Putin Helped Shore Up Kirill's Power and Wealth
- Kirill's Enduring Support For The Man Inside The Kremlin
- The New Schism and Kirill's Precarious Position
Born Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, Russia's future patriarch grew up in a compact apartment in Leningrad during the Soviet empire From an early age, his path led him to the religion of his father and grandfather. His family suffered for their faith under the repressive Communist regime, spending years inside gulags on trumped-up charges. Gundyay...
Mystery surrounds the first meeting between patriarch and president, but both men ascended to the height of their powers shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russian Orthodox Church emerged from the Soviet era with a mission to regain its status as Russia's most powerful ideological institution and ultimate moral authority. Those at the ...
Over the years Patriarch Kirill has frequently come to the defence of Vladimir Putin. When feminist punk band Pussy Riotstaged an unsanctioned musical protest in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2012, asking for the Virgin Mary to "chase Putin out", Kirill dismissed calls for leniency and backed jail time. The church has also been supportive ...
The Eastern Orthodox Church comprises 17 self-governing churches that recognise each others' autonomy in various parts of the world. While patriarchs are ultimately responsible for affairs within their own domains, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) is seen by many as the spiritual centre. But for decades, Kirill has made clear h...
Mar 16, 2022 · Russia’s Patriarch Kirill discussed the situation in Ukraine with Pope Francis on Wednesday, the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement.
Apr 19, 2022 · Hundreds of Ukrainian Orthodox clergy have signed a petition from Archpriest Andriy Pinchuk accusing Kirill of committing "moral crimes by blessing the war against Ukraine" and asking global...
