Pope Leo says Ukraine 'martyred' in Russia's 'senseless war'
Pope Leo XIV welcomed Ukrainian Greek Catholic pilgrims to the Vatican on June 28 and offered his blessing to mothers of soldiers killed on the front lines.
Religion & Ukraine
Clashes erupt in southwestern Ukraine over church control amid shift away from Moscow-affiliated clergy
According to public broadcaster Suspilne, a crowd gathered to assert control over the church, which had recently voted to switch allegiance from the UOC-MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) — an autocephalous (autonomous) Ukrainian church not affiliated with Moscow.
Putin tells new pope Kyiv seeks to escalate war, urges Vatican support for Moscow-linked church in Ukraine
Russia wants the Vatican to "take a more active role" in advocating for what it described as freedom of religion in Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement on June 4 following recent diplomatic contacts.
US Pastor in Ukraine on Russia’s threats, pressure against Christians in occupied territories
Dmytro Bodyu, a U.S. citizen and the pastor of the "Word of Life" Pentecostal Church in Russian-occupied Melitopol, was detained by Russians in March 2022. During his detention, he was accused of working for the CIA and received death threats from the Russian military. Only an intervention by the
Russia's persecution of Ukrainian clergy is part of an organized genocidal campaign
In 1953, Polish-American lawyer Raphael Lemkin, the man who coined the term "genocide," wrote a text titled Soviet Genocide in Ukraine. In it, Lemkin spoke not only about the Holodomor — the man-made famine organized in Ukraine by Stalin in 1932–1933 that claimed the lives of around 4 million people
Zelensky may travel to Vatican for Pope Leo’s inauguration, aide says
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
Pope Leo XIV talks with Zelensky in his first known call with foreign leader
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Pope Leo XIV urges global peace in first Sunday address, calls for end to war in Ukraine
The pope said he was praying to God to grant the world the "miracle of peace."
In 2022 interview, pope condemns Russia's 'imperialist' invasion of Ukraine
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
What will the new pope mean for Ukraine?
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include comments from a 2022 interview, given while Robert Prevost was Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. With the announcement that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new pope and leader of the Catholic Church, Ukrainians are wondering what the surprise
Zelensky congratulates US Cardinal Robert Prevost as he's elected Pope Leo XIV
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
Ukraine's Supreme Court rules religious belief does not exempt citizens from military service during wartime
The ruling comes from a case involving a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a religious group whose doctrine forbids any form of military service.
From Ukraine envoy to Orban's ally: Meet the top candidates for the papal throne
Editor's Note: The story was updated to reflect that the conclave had begun on May 7. On Wednesday, Cardinals opened the historic conclave in the Vatican to choose the next head of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88, was lauded by
Zelensky arrives in Rome to attend Pope Francis's funeral
President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska have arrived in Rome to attend Pope Francis's funeral, RBK-Ukraine reported on April 26, citing Zelensky's spokesperson.
SBU charges 14 Russian Orthodox Church leaders for role in seizing churches in occupied Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has formally charged 14 high-ranking metropolitans and archbishops of the Russian Orthodox Church for their involvement in the illegal seizure of Ukrainian churches in Russian-occupied territories, the agency announced on April 22.
Zelensky plans to attend Pope Francis's funeral
President Volodymyr Zelensky might attend Pope Francis's funeral in the Vatican, as the preparations for the ceremony are underway, European Pravda reported on April 22, citing its source.
Pope Francis leaves a mixed legacy in wartime Ukraine, overshadowed by historic Vatican-Moscow ties
Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at 88, leaves behind a legacy as vast and varied as his global influence. Yet in Ukraine, his track record is far from positive. For many Ukrainians, the Pope’s legacy is shaped by his repeated downplaying of the gravity of Ukraine’
'He knew how to give hope' — Ukraine reacts to Pope Francis's passing
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88, in his residence in Vatican City, the Vatican news service reported.
'We know what we are fighting for' — Zelensky's Easter address to Ukraine in full
President Volodymyr Zelensky has lauded Ukraine's "resilience, compassion, and humanity" in his Easter address on April 20, adding the country's faith has "not faded over 1,152 days of full-scale war."
'Putin is pure evil' — Trump's spiritual advisor on Russia's war against Ukraine
When U.S. President Donald Trump paused military aid to Ukraine last month, the man described as his "spiritual advisor," Pastor Mark Burns, backed the decision. This week, Burns is urging him to send Kyiv more tanks, fighter jets, and air defense. "I now believe that supporting Ukraine is America
67 clergy members killed since 2022 — Kyiv decries Russia's religious persecution in occupied territories
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on April 10 again denounced the religious persecution carried out by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories, accusing Moscow of killing dozens of clergy members and damaging hundreds of churches.
Trump's spiritual adviser visits Bucha, meets Ukraine's religious leaders
"The war in Ukraine is bigger than Democrats or Republicans, the Left or the Right. Whether you dislike President Trump or President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, real people are dying here," Pastor Mark Burns said.
In bomb shelters and without power, Ukrainian Jews translate the Torah into their national language for first time
When Oleg Rostovtsev hovered between life and death after a serious operation last April, he asked friends and family to do something that, until recently, had been impossible — to pray for him by reading the Tehillim, the Hebrew Book of Psalms, in Ukrainian. Hebrew or Ukrainian, he requested, just not
Pope Francis refers to Ukraine, Russia as 'brothers,' calls for peace during Sunday Mass
The pope has earned a controversial reputation in Ukraine with his earlier remarks that relativized the responsibility of Russia’s war, encouraging Ukrainians to have the "courage" to negotiate for peace.
Breakaway churches, spiritual awakenings, prayers in captivity. How war is changing Ukraine’s faith
For a decade, the world has seen how Russia has scarred Ukraine’s landscape with tens of thousands of bombs and missiles. The spiritual wounds — and awakenings — experienced by millions of Ukrainians are less visible. Almost a third of Ukrainians say their religious faith has grown since the war broke
Pope Francis calls for Christmas ceasefire 'on all war fronts'
"Let us continue to pray for peace, in tormented Ukraine, in the Middle East — Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and now Syria — in Myanmar, in Sudan, and wherever people suffer from war and violence," Pope Francis said on Dec. 8.
Zelensky gives Pope painting about Bucha massacre during Vatican meeting
During a meeting that lasted 35 minutes, the pope reportedly presented Ukraine's head of state with a bronze bas-relief with a flower and an inscription, "Peace is a fragile flower."
Pope appoints Ukrainian bishop Mykola Bychok to College of Cardinals
When inaugurated, Ukraine-born Bishop Mykola Bychok will be one of the youngest members of the College and the only cardinal from the country.
Ukraine's chief rabbi mourns loss of adopted son, killed in combat
On Thursday, a memorial service was held in Kyiv for Anton Samborskyi, the adopted son of Ukraine's Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman, who was killed in combat.
Ukrainian bishop of Crimea who serves in military assaulted in Kyiv
Metropolitan Kliment of Crimea and Simferopol of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, who currently serves in the Armed Forces, was beaten up by unknown assailants in Kyiv on Sept. 10, a church official confirmed for Suspilne.
Jewish pilgrims warned against travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah
Jewish pilgrims should refrain from visiting Uman for Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, Cherkasy Oblast Governor Ihor Taburets warned on Sept. 10.
Ukraine's Muslims defiant after Russian attack damages mosque — ‘We will clean, restore, then beat them’
"They are barbarians," 80-year-old Mustafa Dzhemilev tells the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 2, as he assesses the damage caused to the Islamic Cultural Center in Kyiv by a Russian missile attack in the early hours of the morning. "If they targeted a children's hospital, why wouldn’t they destroy a
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