The Libération newspaper reports in its current issue that the “fratricidal” differences in the Orthodox world are deepening after the invasion of Ukraine and in the position of Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who is in danger of weakening the Moscow Patriarchate.
In a special tribute to the religions of the post-Soviet era, the Libération notes that “the vision is not just territorial, as in the nationalist vision Orthodoxy is the basis of Russian identity and Putin has clearly established a continuum between communism and Christianity.
“For Putin,” he said, “in fact it is a matter of instrumentalizing religion, of an ideology, among other things, while for him it is not known that he is a convinced Christian.” War in Ukraine does not belong to the circle that has a direct influence on the Russian president, and perhaps, according to some experts, he experienced a period of withdrawal in 2014, during the annexation of Crimea, as he remained silent, eager to keep his Church in Ukraine . However, according to the newspaper, the war under Putin risks, in the long run, weakening the Moscow Patriarchate, for which Ukraine is a territory that counts symbolically, territorially and economically, in terms of the number of parishes and its priests. According to the newspaper, the existence of a significant number of bishops of Ukrainian origin could create difficulties within the patriarchate. As he notes, more than 300 priests who oppose the war have already appeared, demanding in an open letter the cessation of hostilities. “By taking a stand in favor of the attacker, Cyril will lose much of his power in the Orthodox world,” the paper said.
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