In Ukraine, fake news continues to fuel the information war. In recent days, a video purporting to show a Ukrainian Orthodox church on fire has appeared on social networks, with captions accusing "Radical Ukrainians" of arson.

The Russian Orthodox Church supports the invasion of Ukraine. But in Germany, a Russian Orthodox monastery is providing shelter and safety to Ukrainian refugees. Politics, they say, are left at the door.

This week, France 24 commemorates the 30 years of the dissolution of the USSR. We continue our journey through former Soviet republics in Georgia, where the Georgian Orthodox Church enjoys considerable power and influence. After 70 years of communist oppression, it turned into a driving force to achieve independence and rebuild the country. Today, its position is threatened by the country’s pro-European liberal youth.

The "Rescue Hangar", a project of the Orthodox Church's social department, runs mostly on donations, normally serves around 100 people per day, also offering showers, haircuts and helping broke out-of-towners with tickets home. But during the lockdown, the number of people seeking a hot meal has gone up 500 on some days. And with only one government shelter in the city of 12 million, it has been up to charity groups to fill the demand from the growing homeless population during the lockdown.

The pontiff is visiting Bulgaria, which could prove a touchy affair, as the country’s Orthodox Church is not on the best of terms with Rome. But he is popular with the people in both countries.