Canceling a Saint
This issue of A Public Witness considers the act of removing a saint and what it might teach us about other religious symbols that have also been co-opted.
Ukraine’s Parliament Approves Ban on Moscow-Linked Religious Groups. One Church Is Seen as a Target
A large majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox, but they are divided between two main groups with similar names: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
With New Patriarch, Bulgarian Orthodox Church Turns Toward Moscow
Many who opposed Daniil, the new Patriarch of All Bulgaria, worry that his election represents a sharp turn away from the policies of his predecessor, Neophyte I, who is remembered as a unifier.
Damaged in War, a Vibrant Church in Ukraine Rises as a Symbol of the Country’s Faith and Culture
The building, a striking fusion of the ancient and the modern, reflects a country determined to express its soul even in wartime.
A Russian Orthodox Priest Who Took Part in Services for Navalny Is Suspended by the Patriarch
Dmitry Safronov held a memorial service by Navalny’s grave in Moscow on March 26 to mark 40 days since the politician’s death, an important ritual within Russian Orthodox tradition.
Pope Overcomes Health Concerns to Preside Over Easter Mass and Appeal for Peace in Gaza and Ukraine
The pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling respiratory problems all winter.
Subversive Are Those Who Mourn
This issue of A Public Witness explores the subversive power of public mourning — like what happened recently after the state murder of Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny — to better understand a Beatitude of Jesus.
The War on Valentine’s Day
With a bloody cleric adding Valentine’s Day to his culture (and literal) wars, this issue of A Public Witness looks deeper into the subversive mythology behind St. Valentine.
Ukraine Celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25 for the First Time, Distancing Itself From Russia
The change, enacted in legislation signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July, reflects both Ukrainians' dismay with the 22-month-old Russian invasion and their assertion of a national identity.
Ukrainian Religious Freedom Threatened by Russian Bombs and Propaganda
This issue of A Public Witness offers a crash course lesson from one of the preeminent experts on Ukrainian religious freedom to consider what’s happening in the besieged nation and how religious freedom rights are undermined by Russia.