Ukrainian Church

In what is seen as a hatchet-burying visit, the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios will arrive in Athens on Wednesday for talks with Greek Archbishop Ieronymos that are widely expected to usher in a new era in relations between the Church of Greece and the Phanar.

Russian Patriarch Kirill has reportedly sent messages to world leaders including Pope Francis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, asking for their support in his feud with Kiev over the issue of the Ukrainian Church's independence from Moscow.

Moldova's pro-Russian President Igor Dodon said on Tuesday that Russian Patriarch Kirill will visit Moldova from October 27 to 28 - a shorter visit than the four-day trip that was initially announced.

The Russian Patriarch has cancelled his planned sermon in Tiraspol in the breakaway region of Transnistria.

The United States said in a statement on Sept. 25 that it supports Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Dimitri Bartholomew's stance on granting independence to the Ukrainian Church.

Russia's Orthodox Church said on Friday it would no longer participate in structures chaired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, deepening a row in Orthodox Christianity over the Ukrainian Church's bid to break away from Moscow's orbit.

As the battle hots up over whether a number of countries in the region should get their own Orthodox Churches, Serbian Patriarch Irinej has written to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople warning him about the danger of introducing the principle of giving ecclesiastical independence, or autocephaly, to new states or nations.