Russian Orthodox Church

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Russian Orthodox Archbishop of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk Foma (Nikolay Mosolov), left, pose for a photo with the families of military personnel who died in combat.

Russia cites ‘traditional values’ as justification for war with Ukraine

January 10, 2024Ukraine

In recent weeks Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion nearly two years ago, the Kremlin has justified the war with a list of dubious explanations, including the need to protect “traditional values” under assault from the West.

The Kyiv Pesherska Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, in Kyiv, Ukraine, ornate cathedral, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s the heart of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

Divisions among Orthodox church communities widen amid war in Ukraine

March 29, 2023Ukraine

Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Christmas amid raging war

January 9, 2023Ukraine

Close up of a woman wearing a head scarf in a church near a gold cross.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church gains independence from Moscow: ‘We have been waiting for this’

January 8, 2019Religion

A century after the revolution, Russians build monuments to the czars

November 7, 2017Culture

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Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, left, and Roman Catholic Pope Francis, right, met in Cuba Friday — a historic moment for the religions they represent, which have been at odds for 1,000 years.

How the Middle East brought Eastern and Western Christianity together again — in officially atheist Cuba

February 12, 2016Conflict

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and Roman Catholic Pope Francis met in the Western Hemisphere’s least religious country, the first meeting since the 1000-year-old divorce between their two Christian sects. Here’s how the Middle East brought them to the Caribbean.

Russia introduces mandatory religion class for all 4th graders

August 15, 2013Lifestyle & Belief

Russian fourth graders will learn about one of six religions under a new program implemented in that country this school year. Under the new program, lobbied for by the Russian Orthodox Church, parents can choose from six religion or belief systems to learn about.

Russian Orthodox Church stakes out assertive role on social issues

August 15, 2013Lifestyle & Belief

Russia’s Orthodox Church is trying to become more relevant in Russian society. Though some 70 percent of Russians say they believe in the Orthodox Church, less than one percent go to church even once a month.

Russian band Pussy Riot, convicted of hooliganism, given two-year sentences

August 15, 2013Global Politics

Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich will spend the next two years in prison after a Russian judge determined they had offended the sensibilities of religious people with an anti-Vladimir Putin protest performance in an Orthodox Cathedral.

In post-Soviet Russia, a quest to define national identity

August 15, 2013Global Politics

Despite it being 20 years since the Soviet Union came apart, Russia is still struggling to determine what it means to be Russian — what the nations values really are.

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