Free Republic

ROME – In new comments to Italian media, the Vatican’s Secretary of State has said recent remarks by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill will only make tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war worse, and said a second meeting with the pope is unlikely. Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin also spoke of his recent phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, saying the conversation proved to be unhelpful. Speaking to Italian media at the close of an event called Sui Tetti, or “On the Rooftops,” March 9, Parolin said “Kirill’s words do not favor and do not promote an understanding.” “On the contrary,...

Russia’s aggression against its neighbor isn’t just power politics and geostrategy, it’s about core issues of faith and identity. It’s finally happened. Early today, after weeks of will-he-or-won’t-he speculation, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on his neighbor and launched a major, multi-pronged invasion into Southern, Eastern, and Northern Ukraine. This is just the first military phase of many to come, only a small amount of the vast forces that Moscow has marshalled on Ukraine’s frontiers have entered action yet. Any judgements about the progress of the war would be premature (though this newsletter will be providing regular assessments on...

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- God once used a donkey to alert a wayward prophet that he was on the wrong track. Could it be the Lord is using a bear, a Russian Bear, to do the same with the nations of the West, in particular the United States? "Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values," Russian President Valdimir Putin said in his state of the nation address in mid-December, The Washington Times reported. Putin continued, "Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in...

Orthodoxy in former Soviet republics predicted to increase in influence Jun 12, 2003 By David Roach OSLO, Norway (BP)--Authorities in Russia have granted the Russian Orthodox Church unique access to government institutions such as schools, the army and prisons in recent months, according to Forum 18 News Service. This situation exemplifies a larger trend of the Russian Orthodox Church partnering with Russian authorities in attempt to control religious expression, said John Moldovan, who was recently named associate professor of evangelism and intercultural studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Despite the advances of Orthodoxy in Russia, however,...