A prominent Kazakh cleric defrocked by the Russian Orthodox Church for condemning the invasion of Ukraine has announced plans to establish a new Orthodox church independent of Moscow’s authority, AFP reported on August 7.

Vladimir Vorontsov, formerly a priest in the Moscow-governed Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, confirmed that he is gathering signatures to request recognition for a new, independent church from the Patriarchate of Constantinople – the spiritual centre of global Orthodoxy outside Moscow’s control.

“I plan to send this letter next week,” Vorontsov told the news agency.

The cleric was dismissed from his position last year after publicly describing Russia’s war in Ukraine as a “fratricidal sin” and calling on Kazakhstan to “fence itself off” from Russia. The Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, which remains under the Moscow Patriarchate, accused Vorontsov of committing “serious canonical crimes” and of attempting to form an illegal “schismatic” church.

“Any of his speeches on behalf of the Orthodox Church are illegal. He misleads people, cunningly posing as an Orthodox priest,” the church’s statement said.

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic of approximately 20mn people, is predominantly Muslim but has an Orthodox Christian minority of around 3mn, most of whom are ethnic Russians. The Orthodox Church remains the country’s largest Christian denomination and is currently under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Patriarch Kirill, a staunch supporter of the Kremlin.

The Russian Orthodox Church has been in a formal schism with the Patriarchate of Constantinople since 2018, following the latter’s decision to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

In response to ongoing geopolitical tensions, several countries – including Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – have taken steps to reduce or sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. Last month, the Russian Orthodox Church reminded its branches in Kazakhstan and Belarus to use the official name “Russian Orthodox Church” or “Moscow Patriarchate” in all public communications.

Ascension Cathedral in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Credit: Screenshot from the video “Искусство строить на века. Вознесенский кафедральный собор” from Арманжан Байтасов YouTube channel).