Russian Patriarch Kirill (left) and Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I (right) in Istanbul on August 31.
The spiritual head of the worldwide Orthodox Church has hosted Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for talks on Ukraine's bid to split from the Russian church, a move strongly opposed by Moscow.
The meeting was hosted on August 31 by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who is also known as the Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Bartholomew is regarded as the "first among equals" of the world's estimated 300 million Orthodox Christian believers.He is expected to rule in coming months on a Ukrainian appeal
to cut spiritual ties with Moscow.
But Kirill, who has strong connections with the Kremlin and is seen as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin,
is determined to prevent this from happening.
The church's decision is being made after four years of conflict between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,300 people and prompted many Ukrainians to turn away from the Moscow church.
The Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, who was present at the meeting between Bartholomew and Kirill, said afterwards that the main question they discussed was the "situation in Ukraine."
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