Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the creation of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church independent of Moscow at his annual press conference on Thursday, saying it violated religious freedoms and drove a wedge between the nations.
Orthodox bishops created the new Ukrainian church at a historic synod in Kyiv on Saturday, ending more than 300 years of Moscow domination. The decision was welcomed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the United States.
But Putin slammed the decision as a “blatant breach of religious freedoms”.
Also on Thursday, Ukraine’s parliament passed a law that obliges the Moscow-backed branch of the country’s Orthodox Church to mention its …read more
Source: Voice of America
