Published: 03.05.2022 – 11:05
The war in Ukraine even affects various religious movements. In the country, Orthodoxy is divided between the Kievan and Moscow Patriarchates, which are traditionally supportive of Russia. But in the capital, the bombs even shattered the confidence of priests who advocated an agreement with the Kremlin.
With our correspondent in Kyiv, Stefan Siohan
Often the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the main branch of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, took the political positions of the Moscow clergy, as well as the Kremlin, placing itself against the current of events in Ukrainian society.
But since then Russian attack ten days ago, the clergy of this Church were in shock, and in Kyiv, in the monastery of the Pechersk Lavra, the residence of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, its representative, Father Nikolai Danilevich, does not take off. “Our Church strongly opposed this war. We unequivocally condemn this war, and Metropolitan Onufry asked Putin to put an end to this bloody conflict and aggression, he recalled. He also urged Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to ask Putin to stop all this from day one. This is an open war, an invasion, and we must also defend our country and our homeland. »
“This invasion is an act of betrayal”
However, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow blessed the Russian soldiers and declared his support for the Kremlin’s military actions. At the same time, Father Nikolai believes that the Moscow clergy participated in the duplicity of the Russian authorities, who masked their intentions in Ukraine. “Yes, lying is a sin, and the Russian authorities lied,” he emphasizes. Many believed: officials said that there would be no war, that they were not planning anything. That is why this invasion is an act of betrayal that has undermined all forms of trust. »
Ultimately, this war could have serious repercussions on a religious level: the Ukrainian branch of the Moscow Patriarchate could further distance itself from the Moscow parent company in order to move closer to the Kiev Patriarchate, which has become the Ukrainian National Church.
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