Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered greetings to Orthodox Christians and all Russians on Christmas as celebrated according to the Julian calendar on Jan. 7.
The actions of the Ukrainian authorities against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the bill proposing the dissolution of religious organizations associated with Russia are contrary to freedom of religion and international law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Tuesday.
Pope Francis plans to meet with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, in September at an interreligious meeting in Kazakhstan as many in the world live in hope that the confidante of Vladimir Putin can play a role in getting Moscow to cease its war in Ukraine.