Detention of an Orthodox Archbishop in Kiev.. and Russia appeals to the Pope to intervene

On Saturday, Russia demanded the immediate release of Mr Senior Orthodox clergyman He is being held in Kiev on suspicion of inciting hatred and justification Russian military operation in Ukraine.

On Friday, a court in Kiev ruled that Archbishop Pavlo be detained pending trial.

And Bishop Buffalo is a senior Symbols of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church He has been under house arrest since last April.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said: “We demand strict compliance by the ruling regime in Kiev with international legal obligations and the immediate release of Archbishop Pavlo, who is suffering from a serious illness, and the provision of adequate medical care for him.”

Zakharova called his detention “another manifestation of political arbitrariness and lawlessness” and linked the matter to Ukraine’s moves to expel Orthodox monks from a famous monastery in Kiev.

Bishop Buffalo during his court appearance last April

Ukraine is taking action against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is linked to Moscow, and says it is pro-Russian and cooperating with it. The church denies this and says it cut all ties with Moscow last year.

On Saturday, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, appealed to Pope Francis, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and other religious and political figures to show their support with the detained bishop.

“I urge you to pay your attention to the ongoing persecution of the baptized Ukrainian Orthodox Church and to take all possible measures to protect Archbishop Pavlo … from unlawful prosecution,” Patriarch Kirill said.