Putin asks Russian Orthodox church patriarch to consecrate Christmas gifts for troops in Ukraine
Russia's invasion, which began in February 2022, has also been a source of religious controversy within the Eastern Orthodox Church..
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 230 million baptised members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. The church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the pope of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised by them as primus inter pares, a title formerly given to the patriarch of Rome. As one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, the Eastern Orthodox Church has played an especially prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
Russia's invasion, which began in February 2022, has also been a source of religious controversy within the Eastern Orthodox Church..