Put simply, Putin has been keen to impose a Byzantine model of order known as symphony, in which crown and cathedra work in “providential” harmony. Rooted as it is, however, in gross distortions of history and purpose, this symphony has produced more anthems than hymns.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis last week did what Patriarch Kirill seems to have no intention of doing ever. Breaking with convention, the pope went to the Russian embassy, knocked on its door, and, in the spirit of the prophets, appealed for peace, and offered his office to help broker it. Kirill, understandably, is unable to knock on a door he dwells on the other side of.

Among the titles ascribed to a pope is Pontifex Maximus — that is, chief bridge builder. For better and worse, Francis has striven to be that. Conversely, Kirill, at almost every turn, has attempted to undermine the very bridges he’s entrusted to construct. Moreover, his program of divide and conquer shifted to an urgent gear when, in 2019, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which granted Moscow its independence, granted the same to Kyiv. Examples of Kirill’s campaign contra unity is an expanding record, and evidence that president and prelate are working from the same book. It’s not a prayer book.