Moscow, Not Happy, Again

Ukrainians are rejoicing and singing halleluiah because of the recognition of Ukraine’s own brand of orthodoxy as a separate and independent church. The decision, made by the Constantinople Patriarchate, has angered Moscow who wanted religious ties between the two countries and churches to stay just as they were for reasons too long to go into but include the ability to continue to exert influence over Ukraine and Ukrainians, often (yup, via the church) for nefarious reasons.

Spitting their dummy out of the pram at the very thought of this independence (there’s a wider metaphor there, obviously), Moscow warned previously that in case Ukraine’s autocephaly was recognised, Russia would cut ties with Constantinople. Now that the decision has been announced, which, for some believers corrects a 400-year-old historic anomaly, we wait with bated breath (not really) to see what Moscow’s reaction will be.