On Oct. 11, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople — the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide — started a process to grant independence to a Ukrainian Orthodox Church seated in Kyiv, freeing it from the control of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. The decision has touched off an intense political storm, and threatens to open a new — and possibly violent — front in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
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Robert Person, Aaron Brantly: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is trying to withdraw from Moscow’s control
Patriarch Filaret (R) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv's Patriarchy speaks during a press conference, in Kyiv, on Oct. 11, 2018.