Russian Orthodox church calls on UN for help in Ukraine

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Orthodox Church has called on the United Nations, the leaders of Germany and France, the pope and other spiritual leaders to protect believers in Ukraine in the face of official pressure on Moscow-appointed clerics.
Ukraine’s Orthodox clerics will gather for a meeting Saturday that is expected to form a new, independent Ukrainian church, as authorities ramped up pressure on priests to support the move. The Ukrainian church has been part of the Russian Church