As Russian church backs Putin’s war, Orthodox Christians in Ukraine & Russia stand divided

Patriarch Kirill, the head bishop of Russian Orthodox Church, has openly supported Putin’s campaign in Ukraine, lending weight to the idea of it being a 'holy war'.

Touted as Putin’s key ally, Patriarch Kirill took over as the head bishop of the church in 2009 | Website of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow

New Delhi: Patriarch Kirill, the Primate (head bishop) of the influential Russian Orthodox Church, has repeatedly supported Russia’s campaign in Ukraine since the war started in February 2022.

Born Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, he took on the monastic name of Kirill in 1969 while a seminarian at the Leningrad Theological Academy.

Touted as a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he took over as the head bishop of the church in 2009. Ever since, he has moved the institution closer to the politics of the Kremlin, blurring the boundaries that segregated the state from the church.

This diminishing of boundaries has manifested amid the current war. Putin’s rhetoric to justify the invasion of Ukraine has been centred around cultural-religious grounds, and Kirill has become the fulcrum for instrumentalising this rationale.

Kirill’s support for the war

Kirill, in his statements and actions, has lent weight to the idea of it being a “holy war”. The Russian bishop has given blessings to the Russian army for their conquests, bestowing symbols like the Virgin Mary on Russian commanders to guide them.

He also declared in a sermon, “May the Lord help us all in this difficult time for our Fatherland to unite, including around the authorities.”

In sermons, he has also castigated Westerners for pushing “gay parades” in the Donbas region against the people’s will, arguing that the war is also a conquest against these Western ideals.

These actions have created cultural and religious foregrounds for the war around which Putin has rallied support from the public.

However, according to data from the Pew Research Centre, 78 per cent of Ukrainians identify themselves as Orthodox Christians, and so do 71 per cent of Russians.

Influence of Russian Orthodox church

Followers of the Russian Orthodox Church criss-cross the furthest regions of Ukraine and Russia.

From 1686 until 2019, Ukraine’s orthodox were under the episcopal power of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Moscow considered Ukraine to be under their spiritual jurisdiction, and the Kremlin saw it as a means to exert their influence. Until 2019, nearly 30 per cent of the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church were in Ukraine.

However, in 2019, after a grant of independence to the Ukrainian Orthodoxy from Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the Orthodoxy split between two main churches — the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which pushed for this order, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, which is closely tied to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin.

Despite this split, Ukrainians hold Patriarch Kirill in reverence, and his name is mentioned during prayers and sermons.

How Kirill has divided Orthodox faithful

However, since the start of the war, Kirill’s statements have divided the Orthodox faithful across the world. According to a report in The New York Times, 22 of the 45 dioceses in Ukraine have stopped mentioning Kirill’s name after prayers and sermons.

Many Ukrainians have felt alienated and now contemplate abandoning the Orthodox church on grounds that they cannot pray to a church that pushes for their destruction.

Among the clergy in Ukraine, priests have also condemned Kirill for preaching “heresy” and committing “moral crimes” for his support of the war.

Beyond Ukraine, in France, students at an Orthodox seminary have petitioned their church to break ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

In Russia, there are signs of dissent, with many church officials signing an open letter that condemns the war. However, none of the high-ranking officials of the Russian Orthodox Church has said anything against the war.

Patriarch Kirill’s support for Putin’s campaign could be predicated on a few factors. Firstly, access to state funding for the Russian Orthodox Church. Reportedly, a lot of money from the Russian exchequer is given to the Orthodox Church.

Secondly, proximity to power is another critical reason. While Kirill is described as a key ally of Putin, continuity of support during war-time will cement Kirill’s and the church’s proximity and access to power.

Finally, ideologically, Kirill also propagates critiques of Western liberal thought and what he describes as individualistic and consumer-driven way of living. This conforms to Putin’s criticism of Western ideals, especially his homophobia, which the patriarch agrees with.

(Edited by Manoj Ramachandran)