Ukraine seeks ‘spiritual independence’, acts against church

Ukraine’s punitive actions against a branch of the Orthodox church linked to Russia are part of a drive to achieve “spiritual independence,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.
Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian leaders have accused the long-established Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of undermining Ukrainian unity and collaborating with Moscow.
Authorities ordered the church last Friday to leave its base in the 980-year-old Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, prompting Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill to ask Pope Francis and other religious leaders to help stop the crackdown.
“One more step towards strengthening our spiritual independence was taken this week,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, without referring directly to the order.
Ukrainians, he said, had reacted positively.