Standoff at the Lavra

 

Some further turbulence on our way down...

The parliament of Ukraine demands that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) be banned for ties with Moscow. The UOC claims to support Ukraine in the war with Russia, and has also declared organizational independence from the Moscow Patriarchate (which heads the Russian Orthodox Church). However, Ukrainian intelligence services claim that the UOC are merely dissimulating. It also seems that the Russian Orthodox Church has refused to recognize the autocephaly of the UOC, claiming it´s still under their jurisdiction!  

Apparently, there is another Orthodox Church body in the country, known as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which is more explicitly anti-Russian and recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Indeed, the Moscow Patriarchate seems to have broken their ties with "Constantinople" over the latter´s recognition of the OCU. So I assume the OCU can still work freely in Ukraine...

In case you need to know.   

Ukraine to ban "Ukrainian Orthodox Church" over alleged ties to Moscow