Source: Orthodox Times Despite ongoing discussions stemming from the 25th Congress of the World Russian People’s Council regarding the “Russian world” doctrine and its implications, the 26th Council further cemented the close relationship between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Kremlin. The meeting also underscored the Church’s support for the political leadership’s aspirations. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow chaired the meeting of the 26th World Russian People’s Council held on November 28, titled “The Russian World: External and Internal Challenges.” In his address, Patriarch Kirill highlighted the “unique model of interaction between Church and State,” emphasizing its pivotal role in preserving cultural and spiritual values.…
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Source: Kyiv Post By Giacomo Sanfilippo In recent weeks a number of conflicting news items related to Ukraine have appeared in various sources which combine to demonstrate the scope of “Byzantine symphonia” in its 21st-century Russian reincarnation. As I noted previously on these pages, the expression denotes a religious-political ideology from Orthodox Byzantium according to which church and state were said to speak with a single voice. This produced mixed outcomes in the Byzantine Empire, and later in Tsarist Russia, resulting in some of the most shameful pages in the history of the Orthodox Church. In Russia’s case, we have only to recall…
Source: The National by Alan Philps When Pope Francis gave his first speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday, the members were aware that he was not going to restrict himself to praise in the manner of John Paul II, who had called the European Union a “beacon of civilisation”. But still many were surprised at his harsh tone. The EU had lost its way and replaced its ideals with “bureaucratic technicalities”. Europe was a haggard old grandmother, no longer “fertile and vibrant”, and had allowed a generation of young people to fester in unemployment. Returning to a favourite theme, he…
Source: New York Times | Sophia Kishkovsky MOSCOW — Among the thousands of Russian voices raised against the Kremlin this month after parliamentary elections widely dismissed as fraudulent, perhaps the most surprising was that of Patriarch Kirill I, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, who defended popular protests as a “lawful negative reaction” to corruption. Always a reliable pillar of support for the government of Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin and his United Russia Party, the powerful Orthodox Church has been noticeably — to some, shockingly — critical of the elections. Arguably the only major national institution outside the…