Does the Russian Orthodox Church actively support Putin and his war in Ukraine?
I have heard that the Russian Orthodox Church under the Patriarch Krill is actually supporting Putin and his war on Ukraine.
Is there any evidence to support this?
Yes or no, how is the patriarchy handling this issue?
See these YouTube videos:
Does the Russian Orthodox Church actively support Putin and his war in Ukraine?
The short answer is yes.
Patriarch Kirill gives a go straight to heaven indulgence and remission of their sins any soldier who dies in the war against Ukraine!
The European Parliament has condemned the role of Russian Patriarch Kirill in the war (updated)
In a resolution on 7 April 2022 about the increasing repression in Russia, including the case of Alexei Navalny, the European Parliament condemned the role of Moscow Patriarch Kirill in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Item 6 of the resolution states:
“Condemns the role of Moscow Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in providing theological cover for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; praises the courage of the 300 priests of the Russian Orthodox Church who signed a letter condemning the aggression and expressed their grief over the ordeal of the Ukrainian people, calling for an end to the war.”
In parallel, priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate decided to appeal to the Cathedral of the Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches with a lawsuit against the Russian Patriarch Kirill for “committing moral crimes”. Priests of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine demand an international tribunal for the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.
The statement of the priests was published by Fr. Andrei Pinchuk on his Facebook page.
Excerpt:
“Today, when Patriarch Kirill of Moscow frankly supports Russia’s war of conquest against Ukraine, we, the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, have decided to appeal to the Council of Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches with a lawsuit against Patriarch Kirill.
Our main accusations:
- Cyril preaches the doctrine of the “Russian world”, which does not correspond to Orthodox teaching and should be condemned as heresy;
- Kirill committed moral crimes by blessing the war against Ukraine and fully supporting the aggressive actions of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine.
We hope that the Council of Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches will consider our appeal and make its fair decision.”
UATV interviewed on video a priest on the suit against Kirill
UATV, a Russian-language channel of the state foreign broadcasting of Ukraine, addressed to a wide foreign audience and designed “to convey to the whole world objective, relevant and interesting information from Ukraine and about Ukraine the first hand”, launched an interview with a high ranking orthodox priest. The video is presented with the following message:
“Russian World” – an ideology that laid the foundation of Russian hatred of Ukraine. Ukrainian priests of Moscow Patriarchate “filed a suit” to the highest church judicial authority calling to condemn the doctrine spread by the Russian Orthodox Church and its heretical leader – Patriarch Kirill.
It is a serious enough accusation that the UN resolution of April 7,2022 made mention of it.
Increasing repression in Russia, including the case of Alexey Navalny
European Parliament resolution of 7 April 2022 on the increasing repression in Russia, including the case of Alexei Navalny (2022/2622(RSP))
- Condemns the role of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, for providing theological cover for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; praises the courage of the 300 priests of the Russian Orthodox Church who have signed a letter condemning the aggression, grieving over the ordeal of the Ukrainian people and asking to "stop the war".
True or false the accusations are being looked into at the moment.
Here is another YouTube video to view at your leisure:
It's not a secret that KGB agents were working as priests when churches became legalised in USSR.
It's not a secret that they still do the same with the FSB.
Welcome to the Russian Orthodox Church. It's surely presented in your country too.
On December 15, 2018, the Ukraine Kyiv Patriarchate became independent from the Moscow Patriarchate. If the Ukraine falls Krill could possibly gain the control of the churches he lost in 2018.
In early September 2018, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew indicated that the Church of Constantinople did not recognise the Moscow Patriarchate's claim to ecclesiastical jurisdiction over "the region of today's Metropolis of Kyiv". On 11 October 2018, after a synod, the Patriarchate of Constantinople renewed an earlier decision to move towards granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The synod also withdrew Constantinople's 332-year qualified acceptance of the Russian Orthodox Church's jurisdiction over the Ukrainian Church, contained in a 1686 letter. It lifted the excommunications of Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and Metropolitan Makariy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC); both bishops were "canonically reinstated to their hierarchical or priestly rank, and their faithful ... restored to communion with the Church."
On 15 December 2018, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and UOC-KP hierarchies decided to dissolve the churches. That day, the UAOC, the UOC–KP and some members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) were going to merge to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine after a unification council. - Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
In April 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many UOC-MP parishes signaled their intention to switch allegiance. The attitude and stance of the ROC patriarch Kirill to the war is one of the oft quoted reasons. - UOC-MP parishes' switchover to the OCU
What does this mean to the unity of Orthodoxy and Christendom in General? Are end-times now being drawn up? Religion can be a powerful tool in the hands of the wrong people.
Support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022
Patriarch Kirill has referred to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as "current events" and has avoided using terms like war or invasion, thereby complying with Russian censorship law. Kirill approves of the invasion, and has blessed the Russian soldiers fighting there. As a consequence, several priests of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine have stopped mentioning Kirill's name during the divine service. The Moscow patriarchate views Ukraine as a part of their "canonic territory". Kirill has said that the Russian army has chosen a very correct way.
On March 6, 2022 (Forgiveness Sunday holiday), during the liturgy in the Church of Christ the Savior, he justified Russia's attack on Ukraine, stating that it was necessary to side with Donbass, where he said there is an ongoing 8-year "genocide" by Ukraine and where, Kirill said, Ukraine wants to enforce gay pride events upon local population. Despite the holiday being dedicated to the concept of forgiveness, Kirill said there can't be forgiveness without delivering "justice" first, otherwise it's a capitulation and weakness.
On March 9, 2022, after the liturgy, he declared that Russia has the right to use force against Ukraine to ensure Russia's security, that Ukrainians and Russians are one people, that Russia and Ukraine are one country, that the West incites Ukrainians to kill Russians in order to sow discord between Russians and Ukrainians and gives weapons to Ukrainians for this specific purpose, and therefore the West is an enemy of Russia and God.
In a letter to the World Council of Churches (WCC) sent in March 2022, Kirill justified the attack on Ukraine by NATO enlargement, the protection of Russian language, and the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In this letter, he did not express condolences over deaths among Ukrainians.
On March 27, 2022, Kirill expressed his support for the actions of Rosgvardiya in Ukraine, praising its fighters for performing their military duty, and wished them God's help in this matter.
In the aftermath of the Bucha massacre on April 3, Kirill, speaking in the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces Kirill praised the armed forces for "feats" of service, saying Russia is "peaceful".
Representatives of the Vatican have criticized Kirill for his lack of willingness to seek peace in Ukraine. On April 3, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said there was a strong case for expelling the Russian Orthodox Church from the WCC, saying, "When a Church is actively supporting a war of aggression, failing to condemn nakedly obvious breaches of any kind of ethical conduct in wartime, then other Churches do have the right to raise the question ... I am still waiting for any senior member of the Orthodox hierarchy to say that the slaughter of the innocent is condemned unequivocally by all forms of Christianity." - Russian Orthodox Church
The following article(s) May be of interest to some:
An article in the U.K. broadsheet newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, dated 16 April 2022, by Charles Moore (former editor of said paper) said this about Vladimir Putin and Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow:
One of the many distressing features of the war in Ukraine is the way the aggressor invokes the Christian God. Vladimir Putin is dishonourably abetted in this by Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow, who praised President Putin’s “high and responsible service to the people” just as the invasion began.
The article referred to the presence of Vladimir Putin at the Easter Eve Mass in Moscow in 2021:
On that occasion, he held a candle, crossing himself and sitting alone in a high place, far distanced from the rest of the congregation, in order to emphasise his eminence and decrease his chance of Covid infection.
That partial quote presents a view of how some Europeans perceive the relationship between the President of Russia and the Patriarch of the Moscow Orthodox Church. But is this view justified?
According to the following quotes taken from a Wikipedia article, it seems that the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church approves of what is going on in Ukraine.
A close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Kirill has described Putin’s rule as "a miracle of God." According to Putin, Kirill's father baptized him. During his tenure as Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Kirill has brought the Russian Orthodox Church closer to the Russian state. Kirill's relationship with Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch and the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, has been tense. After Kirill lauded Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, clergy in other Orthodox dioceses condemned Kirill's remarks, with Bartholomew I saying that Kirill's support for Putin and the war were "damaging to the prestige of the whole of Orthodoxy." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Kirill_of_Moscow
Another section in the same Wikipedia article provides details of Kirill's support. Here are a few examples:
Kirill approves of the invasion, and has blessed the Russian soldiers fighting there. As a consequence, several priests of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine have stopped mentioning Kirill's name during the divine service. The Moscow patriarchate views Ukraine as a part of their "canonical territory". Kirill has said that the Russian army has chosen a very correct way. Kirill sees gay pride parades as a part of the reason behind Russian warfare against Ukraine. He has said that the war is not physically, but rather metaphysically, important.
On 6 March 2022 (Forgiveness Sunday holiday), during the liturgy in the Church of Christ the Savior, he justified Russia's attack on Ukraine, stating that it was necessary to side with "Donbas" (i.e. Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic), where he said there is an ongoing 8-year "genocide" by Ukraine and where, Kirill said, Ukraine wants to enforce gay pride events upon local population. Despite the holiday being dedicated to the concept of forgiveness, Kirill said there can't be forgiveness without delivering "justice" first, otherwise it's a capitulation and weakness. The speech came under international scrutiny, as Kirill parroted President Putin's claim that Russia was fighting "fascism" in Ukraine. Throughout the speech, Kirill did not use the term "Ukrainian", but rather referred to both Russians and Ukrainians simply as "Holy Russians", also claiming Russian soldiers in Ukraine were "laying down their lives for a friend", referencing the Gospel of John.
On 9 March 2022, after the liturgy, he declared that Russia has the right to use force against Ukraine to ensure Russia's security, that Ukrainians and Russians are one people, that Russia and Ukraine are one country, that the West incites Ukrainians to kill Russians in order to sow discord between Russians and Ukrainians and gives weapons to Ukrainians for this specific purpose, and therefore the West is an enemy of Russia and God.
In a letter to the World Council of Churches (WCC) sent in March 2022, Kirill justified the attack on Ukraine by NATO enlargement, the protection of Russian language, and the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In this letter, he did not express condolences over deaths among Ukrainians.
Representatives of the Vatican have criticized Kirill for his lack of willingness to seek peace in Ukraine. On 3 April, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said there was a strong case for expelling the Russian Orthodox Church from the WCC, saying, "When a Church is actively supporting a war of aggression, failing to condemn nakedly obvious breaches of any kind of ethical conduct in wartime, then other Churches do have the right to raise the question ... I am still waiting for any senior member of the Orthodox hierarchy to say that the slaughter of the innocent is condemned unequivocally by all forms of Christianity."
More information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Kirill_of_Moscow#Support_for_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine,_2022
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” (English philosopher John Stuart Mill, 1860's) "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather EXPOSE THEM" (Ephesians 5:11)
By failing to condemn this genocide and the war crimes being perpetrated by the Russian army, Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, will be held accountable before God. That principle holds true to every person involved, not just one individual. It also applies to the whole world, whether Christian or not (Romans 3:19). "Each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12).
What sort of Christmas will it be for families whose lives are at risk and who don't even have access to heat, water or even shelter? What sort of a Christmas will it be for Russian families whose sons have died in this war?
Love came down at Christmas, but it will take divine intervention for Ukrainians to feel love, peace and security any time soon. Meanwhile Christians throughout the world pray for an end to the suffering and bloodshed.
