EXPLAINER: How is Russia-Ukraine war linked to religion?

By PETER SMITH
Associated Press

While there have been appeals to religious nationalism on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, religious loyalty doesn’t mirror political fealty amid Ukraine’s fight for survival. Leaders of two Orthodox factions in Ukraine issued strong denunciations of the Russian invasion, as has Ukraine’s significant Catholic minority. But longstanding conflicts among the Orthodox still lurk in the background. The schism in Ukraine between churches centered in Kyiv and Moscow has spawned worldwide divisions in Orthodoxy. Some hope they can put such conflicts aside and unite to try to end the war, while also fearing the war could exacerbate the split.