Anger grows over Ukraine's largest Orthodox church, aligned with Moscow despite war

Anger grows over Ukraine's largest Orthodox church, aligned with Moscow despite warEnlarge this image toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR Brian Mann/NPRKYIV, Ukraine — On a recent autumn afternoon, Ukrainian worshipers with a branch of the Orthodox church long tied to Moscow gathered on a street outside a monastery in Kyiv to sing and pray. Officials with the Moscow-aligned church say they have taken steps to distance themselves from Patriarch Kirill. In May 2022, clergy within Ukraine's Moscow-aligned Orthodox church circulated a resolution that would have led to a complete divorce from Russia and its influence. "We are protesting against the Moscow church, against the Moscow priests." Metropolitan Pavel, one of the top leaders of Ukraine's Moscow-aligned church, is accused of secretly backing Russia's invasion.