On March 27, Moscow Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), submitted a “revolutionary” decree titled “The Present and Future of the Russian World.”
The order stated: “From a spiritual and moral point of view, the Special Military Operation (Russian term for the war against Ukraine) is a holy war, a holy war in which Russia and its people defend the only spiritual space of Holy Russia. ” he claims. The mission of the “Keeper” is to protect the world from the pressures of globalism and the victory of the Satanist West. ”
The order also asserts that “the entire territory of modern Ukraine should fall within Russia’s exclusive sphere of influence.”
Exactly one year ago, at a rally in central Moscow, the famous Russian actor and former Orthodox priest Ivan Okhlobystin was one of the first to dare to call Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “holy war.” This sounds like a madman’s tweet at the time, but it is now the official position of the Republic of China.
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This politicization and weaponization of religion is not typical of Orthodoxy. The term “holy war” sounds foreign, if not blasphemous, to Orthodox ears. Orthodox tradition recognizes the inevitable need to defend one’s country, but there is nothing sacred about it. In the early Byzantine period, soldiers were forced to undergo short penances for killing their enemies in battle. To make matters worse, Russia invaded Ukraine, which is also an Orthodox-majority country.
The Republic of China, always tied to the Kremlin, strove to reconcile government propaganda with basic Christian doctrine. Patriarch Kirill’s absurd document cemented the church’s role as the Kremlin’s ideological puppet.
This raises two important questions.
How will the Independent Orthodox Church react? The Republic of China’s actions amount to systematicism, a conflation of church and state that is considered heretical. Will other Orthodox leaders take a similar position?
How should the Ukrainian government respond? The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) is subordinate to the Republic of China and, not to be confused with the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), remains Ukraine’s main religious group.
Most importantly, given the numerous cases in which its representatives support Russia’s wars, spy for Moscow, hide weapons with the Russian army, and create pro-Russian militias, Kiev Should the influence of the UOC-MP in Ukraine be limited?
Two problems arise.
Firstly, not all representatives of the UOC-MP are loyal to Patriarch Kirill, and it is sometimes difficult to identify a wolf in sheep’s clothing, especially after a full-scale invasion. Officially, the UOC-MP has severed ties with its “mother”, but within the framework of Orthodox canon law it is still part of it.
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Second, even the spontaneous transition of local village parishes from the UOC-MP to the Kiev-centered UOC created tensions and allowed Russia to accuse Ukraine of disregarding religious freedom. .
It would be easier if these baseless accusations only came from Russia. But misguided and ignorant lobbyists and opinion leaders in the United States are also attempting to use this situation to frame “Christian persecution” and block aid to Ukraine.
Ironically, Patriarch Kirill has himself undermined many of the Church’s efforts to conceal its objectives by proudly acknowledging the Republic of China’s role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Ukraine’s quest to separate the wheat from the chaff and find the best way to deal with UOC-MP clerics acting in Russia’s interests without restricting religious freedom remains a real challenge .
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the Opinion section are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.
Victor Tregubov
