Patriarch Kirill is an ally of Putin and has supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has previously criticized those who oppose the war and called on Russians to rally around the Kremlin.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that Russian soldiers who die in the war against Ukraine will receive absolution, days after partial conscription ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
Patriarch Kirill is an ally of Putin and has supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has previously criticized those who oppose the war and called on Russians to rally around the Kremlin.
“Many are dying on the fields of fratricidal war,” 75-year-old Cyril said in his first Sunday address since the order conscription. “The Church prays that this battle will end as quickly as possible so that as few brothers as possible kill each other in this fratricidal war.”
“But at the same time, the Church realizes that if someone, driven by a sense of duty and the need to fulfill his vow…goes to do what his duty calls him and if someone dies in the performance of that duty , then he has undoubtedly committed something amounting to a sacrifice. He will have sacrificed himself for others. And therefore, we believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins committed by such a person.”
Cyril’s support for the war in Ukraine has deepened the rift between the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox Churches around the world.
Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, is a staunch opponent of war and has appeared to rebuke Cyril’s position in several public speeches, including one earlier this month when he said God does not support war.
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