Contents: Constantinople grants Ukrainian Orthodox Church independence, causing historic split with Russia; Russia says that Constantinople’s decision is ‘catastrophic’

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) – Two days of voting on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalise same-sex marriage have gotten started in Romania.

MOSCOW (AP) – Vladimir Putin says the adoption of Christianity more than 1,000 years ago in territory that later became Russia marked the starting point for forming the Russian nation itself.

MOSCOW (AP) – Four gunmen attacked a Russian Orthodox church in the mostly Muslim Russian province of Chechnya on Saturday but were killed by security forces in a clash that also left two policemen and a churchgoer dead. The attack underscored security challenges in Russia as it prepares to host the World Cup next month.