Pope Francis condemns Ukraine’s ban on Russian Orthodox Church

NEWS WIRES

25 August 2024 at 7:58 am·1-min read

A day after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law banning the Russian-linked Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Pope Francis on Sunday warned that the move could infringe on the freedom of worship. Ukraine's parliament approved the ban last week following tensions with the Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the Ukraine government's move to ban a Russia-linked branch of the country's Orthodox Church.

"Do not touch churches," the pope said in his weekly prayers, one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the ban into law.

"In thinking of the law recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the liberty of those who pray," the pope said.

Zelensky -- who met with the pope in June at the G7 in Italy -- signed a law Saturday banning the Russian-linked Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Ukraine has been seeking to distance itself from the Russian church since 2014 and the efforts have accelerated since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Zelensky approved the bill, slammed by Russia, on Kyiv's independence day from the Soviet Union.

(AFP)

Malay Mail
Wealthy Chinese youth flock to Malaysia’s MM2H scheme after requirement changes
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Malaysia’s revamped Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa scheme has led to a notable increase...
Reuters
Israel shares video of cramped, bloody tunnel where hostages were held and killed
Blood on the ground of a dark, cramped tunnel sealed by an iron door, bullets and a chess set are seen in a video released by the Israeli military of the passageway deep underground where it said six slain hostages were held and killed by Hamas. The video was filmed by the military last Friday, its spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, as a forensic team investigated the hostage deaths. It was released to the public on Tuesday after it had been viewed by their families and the Israeli security cabinet.
Malay Mail
Lawyers says ex-aide who previously accused PM Anwar arrested over guns and drugs
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Ex-research worker Muhammed Yusoff Rawther was arrested last Friday for gun and drug possession,...
Malay Mail
Teluk Intan convent school headmistress fined RM10,000 for using forged document to buy digital piano
IPOH, Sept 11 — The Sessions Court here today fined a convent school headmistress RM10,000, in default of one month’s ja...
Malay Mail
Fahmi: Islamic affairs minister told to prepare report on halal certification push
PUTRAJAYA, Sept 11 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed Islamic Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im M...
The Independent
Voices: Trump fumed and his face turned red. Then the debate got weird.
With a well-placed jab about his rally size, Harris derailed any hope that Trump could act normally, Richard Hall writes in an analysis of Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia
The Independent
Who won the presidential debate? Harris laughed, Trump spiraled
Former president repeated familiar falsehoods and gave rambling answers
Malay Mail
‘No fear, no surrender’: Akmal defiant as Teresa Kok seeks RM25m in damages over halal certification remarks
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh will face Seputeh MP Teresa Kok in court after she issue...
Reuters
Russia says it could "combine" with China if they faced a threat
Russia said on Wednesday that its partnership with China was not aimed against third countries but the two powers could "combine potential" if faced with a threat from the United States. "I would like to remind you that Moscow and Beijing will respond to 'double containment' by the United States with 'double counteraction'," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said when asked about a possible deployment of U.S. missiles in Japan.
CNN
Police rescue 402 children after sex abuse allegations at Islamic welfare homes in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities on Wednesday rescued 402 children and arrested 171 suspects after raiding 20 welfare homes linked to an Islamic business group, in which children were exploited and sexually abused, the national police chief said.
Rolling Stone
Elon Musk Threatens Taylor Swift After Harris Endorsement: ‘I Will Give You a Child’
The billionaire offered to include the pop superstar in his ongoing attempts to stave off “population collapse”
AFP News
Peru's polarising ex-president Alberto Fujimori dies at 86
Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori, who ruled his country with an iron fist and then spent 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, died on Wednesday at age 86 in the capital Lima."After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord," his children Keiko, Hiro, Sachie and Kenji Fujimori wrote on social media platform X. Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, was released from prison on humanitarian grounds in December, two-thirds of t
Twentytwo13
Learning from extraordinary minds, Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz
There is no doubt that Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid was one of Malaysia's most respected intellectuals and academics. He was an influential figure in Malaysia's development, particularly in the fields of economics, education, and social welfare, writes Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Ibrahim.
Malay Mail
Halal certification should be a choice, not a requirement for non-Muslim eateries, says Indian restaurant owners group
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — The Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners’ Association (Primas) has stated that halal certification...
AFP News
China to 'crush' foreign encroachment in South China Sea: military official
China will "crush" any foreign incursion into its sovereign territory including in the South China Sea, a senior Beijing military official said Thursday on the sidelines of a defence forum.Washington and Beijing have verbally sparred over China's increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions, including the South China Sea.
CNN
Israeli official floats safe passage for Oct. 7 architect Yahya Sinwar in return for hostages
“Safe passage to him and whoever he wants to join him out of Gaza,” Israel’s Coordinator for Hostages and the Missing Gal Hirsch told CNN’s Jessica Dean on Sunday.
Sky video
Aggression, disrespect and insult - a confrontation that Trump has rarely faced
As the old saying goes, even the dogs in the street know he was talking nonsense.
INSIDER
Tech CEO's killer asked a judge to sentence him to life in prison, despite his lawyer fighting for less
Former personal assistant Tyrese Haspil was sentenced to 40 years to life for the killing of Fahim Saleh, the boss he embezzled from.
The Independent
Don Jr confronted by restaurant owner who says he lost half his customers over Trump support
The restaurant owner purchased a digital billboard for Donald Trump in Minnesota, where Tim Walz is governor
CNN
CNN visits Ohio town where Trump claims migrants are eating pets. Here’s what we found
CNN’s Omar Jimenez visits Springfield, Ohio, where former President Donald Trump falsely claimed migrants are eating people’s pets.

Latest stories