The unholy alliance of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin
Patriarch Kirill is one of the most vocal defenders of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine
THE INVASION of Ukraine has provoked outrage and sympathy among Christian leaders of all denominations, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul and the Pope. The Russian Orthodox Church is an outspoken exception. Patriarch Kirill, who leads the church, has described the conflict as a “holy war” and said that any young man who died in action would be absolved of their sins. The war was essential to “defending the unified spiritual space of Holy Russia”, he claimed.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Singing from Putin’s hymn sheet”
Culture December 14th 2024
From the December 14th 2024 edition
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