Steinmeier blames Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the war in Ukraine

On August 31, 2022, the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches began in Karlsruhe (Germany), at which German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier reproached the Russian Orthodox Church of “justifying the aggressive war in Ukraine.”

“The leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church is currently leading its Church down a dangerous and truly blasphemous path that runs counter to everything they believe in,” the German publication welt.de quotes the German president.

“They justify an aggressive war against Ukraine – against their own and our brothers and sisters in faith. We must speak out, including here, in this Hall, in this Assembly, against this propaganda targeting the freedom and rights of citizens of another country, against this nationalism, which groundlessly claims that the dictatorship's imperial dreams of hegemony are the will of God. How many women and men, and children too, in Ukraine have become victims of this hate speech, this hatred and this criminal violence <...> We must call it by its proper name, moreover, we must condemn it, and, no less important, as a Christian community, we must express our commitment to the dignity, freedom and security of the people of Ukraine.”

The German leader directly addressed the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church with a call for dialogue.

“It must draw attention to injustice, must identify both the victims and the perpetrators – and their minions. However, dialogue that does not go beyond pious wishes and vague generalizations can, at worst, become a platform for justification and propaganda,” Steinmeier said.

According to him, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church joined the crimes of the war against Ukraine, which led to the destruction of churches, mosques and synagogues.

“No Christian who is still in control of his faith, his mind and his feelings will be able to see the will of God in this. All this fundamentally contradicts the third symbol of the Assembly's logo – the cross," the President of Germany concluded.

As Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, Exarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, who was present at the Assembly, wrote on his Telegram channel, “it was public pressure, almost to the point of threats.”

“Well, our Church is used to pressure,” said the Exarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to the acting General Secretary of the WCC, Archpriest John Sauka, the Russian Orthodox Church will not be excluded from the World Council of Churches despite the appeals from the three Churches and "a number of private individuals".

As the UOJ wrote, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved sanctions against Patriarch Kirill and clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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