A Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam broke ties with the Moscow Patriarchate over the invasion of Ukraine

• A Russian Orthodox Church in the Netherlands has split from Moscow and asked for "canonical dismissal."
• The clergy said they had received threats after speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine.

A Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam announced on Saturday that it would split from the Moscow church over threats it has received for its stance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The parish of St. Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam said it had held a special meeting to discuss "the threat to the parish and the clergy," it said in a statement on its website.

"During the meeting, the clergy unanimously announced that it is no longer possible for them to function within the Moscow Patriarchate and provide a spiritually safe environment for our faithful," the statement read.

The parish said it had asked the Netherlands' diocese for "canonical dismissal," which would effectively remove it from the Russian Orthodox Church.

"This decision is extremely painful and difficult for all concerned," wrote the church.

It also asked to join the Constantinople Orthodox Church, which it said had expressed a "willingness to consider the request." The Istanbul-based branch is seen as a rival to the Russian Orthodox Church, The Guardian's Pjotr Sauer reported.

The church's Saturday statement didn't specify the exact threat to its clergy. However, according to Dutch Christian news outlet Nederlands Dagblad, Archbishop Elisey of the Netherlands had paid an unscheduled visit to the church on March 6 to warn them after they spoke out against the invasion of Ukraine.

The day before, the parish clergy had written on the church's Facebook page of their "shock at the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation." They added that the attack had caused "extreme violence, destruction, and suffering of the population of Ukraine."

The clergy also wrote that they had removed the name of Patriarch Kirill — the head of the Russian Orthodox Church — from the church's liturgy because he had blamed Ukraine for the attack. "We distance ourselves from Patriarch Kirill's narrative," the Facebook post said.

According to ND, Elisey had insisted that Kirill's name be added back into the liturgy and told them that Russia's foreign affairs ministry was watching their actions "with great interest."

The Russian Orthodox Church has allied itself with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine publicly. Kirill himself had called Ukrainian troops "evil forces," and in 2012 called Putin a "miracle of God," according to Agence France-Presse.

However, around 280 Russian Orthodox priests from various churches around the world have signed an open letter calling for an end to the invasion.

"We remind you that the life of every person is a priceless and unique gift of God, and therefore we wish the return of all soldiers — both Russian and Ukrainian — to their homes and families safe and sound," the letter said.