Latest Articles about Religion

Moscow and Minsk Attack Catholicism to Defend Lukashenka and Russian World
Executive Summary: In advance of his sham re-election, Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has launched an expanded campaign against Roman Catholics, the 14 percent of his nation who have been the most opposed to the Minsk strongman in the past. Moscow has joined this effort to... MORE

Moscow Fears Moldova Will Follow Ukraine and Ban Russian Orthodox Church
Executive Summary: Moscow officials and churchmen fear Chisinau will follow Kyiv and ban the Russian Orthodox Church in Moldova. Both they and pro-Moscow groups there are using concerns about that in their campaign against the re-election of Moldova’s pro-Western leader. Russian fears are not only... MORE

Russian Orthodox Church Recruits African Students for Moscow’s War in Ukraine
Executive Summary: The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has been expanding its activities in Africa, including aiding in Moscow’s recruitment of locals for its paramilitary needs through religious belief. African students working and living in Russia under the guise of reconstructing ROC monasteries in Ryazan oblast... MORE

Georgian Dream Proposes Orthodox Christianity as State Religion in Ploy to Retain Power
Executive Summary: The ruling Georgian Dream has proposed that if it wins the upcoming elections, it would declare Orthodox Christianity as the state religion in Georgia. The move looks to gain the support of the Georgian Orthodox Church, one of the most influential institutions in... MORE

Moscow Church, Facing Ban in Ukraine, on Defensive Across Former Soviet Space
Executive Summary: The Russian Orthodox Church of Ukraine faces a ban from Kyiv for its refusal to break completely with Moscow, because of the numerous continuing examples of its support and aid to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Similar moves against the Russian Orthodox... MORE

Religious Life On the Rise in Ukraine, With Enormous Consequences for Kyiv and Moscow
Executive Summary: Since February 2022, the number of parishes and other religious institutions in Ukraine has risen by almost 10 percent, with most growth occurring in Catholic and Protestant denominations. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has lost more than 1,000 parishes and... MORE

Tensions Increase as Prime Minister and Church Leaders Clash in Armenia
Executive Summary: Protests that initially opposed border delimitation and demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan have since become focused on removing Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from office. The demonstrations have increasingly turned into smaller acts of civil disobedience, such as Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan managing... MORE

Clergy-Led Demonstrations Raise Concerns Over Separation of Church and State in Armenia
Executive Summary: Thousands of protestors demand an end to the delimitation and demarcation of the Gazakh–Tavush border between Armenia and Azerbaijan while pushing to remove Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from power. An Archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church is leading these protests, raising questions... MORE

Moscow Uses Russian Orthodox Church as Covert Foreign Policy Tool in Ukraine and the West
Executive Summary: The Kremlin is actively using the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to drum up support for the war in Ukraine and to spread its influence abroad. Moscow has long used the ROC to achieve its goals by establishing spy networks throughout the post-Soviet space... MORE

Moscow Church Losing Ground Throughout Post-Soviet Space, Including in Russia
Executive Summary: No Russian institution has lost more ground since President Vladimir Putin launched his expanded invasion of Ukraine than the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP)—a development that undermines Putin’s “Russian world” vision. These self-inflicted losses are disrupting the Moscow church’s... MORE