Patriarch Kirill and his family have millions of dollars in real estate. This hints at potential misuse of church funds or financial misbehavior in general on the Patriarch's part.
A Russian Cleric who was staunchly anti-women's rights has died at the age of 69. His views perhaps signal a shift in the views of the country as a whole.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, agreed to an ecclesiastical court's decision to excommunicate Sergii Romanov. This decision comes over a month after the original ruling by the Yekaterinburg court.
Russia’s Investigative Committee is planning to arrest a number of single, gay men on child trafficking charges and threatening to place their children in foster care for the duration of the investigation. These men became fathers through in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and surrogate mothers, which is against Russian law because only married couples and single women are allowed to act as donors. This law demonstrates the pervasive homophobia present in Russian society and how it is reflected in policy.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus had his passport canceled, likely due to his criticism of the Belarusian government. This violates the Constitution of Belarus and could lead to an attempt to weaken or scapegoat minority religions in the region.
The attorney general has filed suit against a Siberian-based cult and arrested its founding members. This could be an infringement on religious freedom, and could have something to do with the country's COVID-19 response efforts.
