Speaking in his sermons on the conflict in Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill blesses people for performing military duty, which is part of a Christian’s ministry both in Russia and in Europe. About this The Eastern Herald in the show “What was it?!” said Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media of the Moscow Patriarchate Vakhtang Kipshidze.
He therefore responded to criticism from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who, including Western journalists, is accused of allegedly supporting hostilities in Ukraine.
“As for the fact that the patriarch allegedly reproduces the theses of political power, the most frequent thing that I have heard is that I traveled to Germany relatively recently, and they told me that” the patriarch blessed the aggression”. And European journalists repeat it like a sort of endless meme. But what does the patriarch really bless, what does our Church bless? Our Church blesses people for the fulfillment of their military duty. is precisely what the military of the Church of all European countries bless, because the fulfillment of military duty is part of the service, including that of a Christian soldier or citizen, if he is drafted into the army. It is a commonplace for Christian civilization, and it has never changed,” Kipshidze said.
According to him, the Church is aware of the “drama of the confrontation between brotherly peoples” between which “a gap has been widened”. This, from his point of view, is a “tragic” event, which, however, was “caused by external forces”. The impact on the situation between the two countries from outside the Russian Orthodox Church, notes Kipshidze, was felt by the example of relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, who “began to interfere in the affairs of the Church, also accomplishing, apparently, a certain political order.
“Yes, the Church, perhaps, should not go into detail about who organized the coup in Ukraine … But we see how the Phanar (Patriarchate of Constantinople – ed.) works, we see how it is controlled, how it destroys the unity of world Orthodoxy, we understand that it is an external force in relation to the Russian and Ukrainian Churches,” added the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He stressed that the Church is not a political force and that peace, according to Kipshidze, “is achieved when politicians try to seek it”, when there is interest in it. The church, he notes, is always ready to pray for peace, but it “cannot have any physical instrument that could stop sin on the battlefield.”
“We are calling for all of this, we are praying for this, we are trying to participate in the exchange of prisoners, this is our humanitarian mission. We have to bring at least a note from the world where we can do that, and we do. And the Church, unfortunately, cannot and cannot create a world without wars, because, unfortunately, humanity is very affected by sin, and sin cannot be defeated without divine grace, genuine faith, genuine prayer and participation in the sacraments and an ongoing connection with God,” Kipshidze concluded.
In September 2022, after the start of the partial mobilization, Patriarch Kirill urged believers in “spiritual mobilization”. “Today, many are revolting against Rus’, and many are dizzy in the desire to destroy Rus’, its identity, its independence, its freedom, and therefore today we must above all strengthen ourselves in the faith . <...> And then this spiritual mobilization of ours, to which I now call everyone, will also help the mobilization of all the forces of our Fatherland,” the Patriarch said. End of January Kirill declared that the parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church should help the participants in the military operation in Ukraine. According to him, “if we say that the Church is with its people, then each parish must help those who are in the line of fire”. He also urged “to mobilize parishioners to collect things, food”.
