Ukraine-Russia Tensions Rise in Church Row
NOVANEWS
Ukraine-Russia Tensions Rise in Church Row. The Canonical Authority of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate (MP)
Moscow’s Role in Ukraine Orthodox Church Ended
By: Dmitry Babich
Consortiumnews
The Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, an authority completely outside Ukraine, on Oct. 11 stripped away the canonical authority of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—Moscow Patriarchate (MP), sparking a crisis with Russia.
The 1030-year old church is headed by Patriarch Kirill in Russia and the Russian church responded by severing ties to the Istanbul patriarch. Tensions have now been raised even further in the crisis between Ukraine and Russia that erupted after the U.S.-backed 2014 coup in Kiev that overthrew an elected president wh...