The visit by Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church to the wounded Metropolitan of Horlivka and Sloviansk is a classic example of how the Russian Orthodox Church and its head use the religious context and wartime events to promote the Kremlin’s political and ideological narratives. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD), UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that, addressing the wounded man, Kirill stated that he had suffered for his “correct position,” and that the blame lay entirely with the “demons” who allegedly wanted to destroy “Holy Rus.”
With such statements, the Kremlin patriarch once again sacralizes the war, turning the war of aggression and killings into a “holy confrontation with the forces of evil”
They emphasize that the integration of the Russian Orthodox Church into Russia’s state propaganda system is clearly evident in such visits and speeches.
“Instead of calls for peace or mercy, which one might expect from a religious organization, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church fully aligns its rhetoric on the war with the Kremlin. Today’s Russian Orthodox Church has nothing in common with Christian faith or spirituality. It has turned into an ideological subdivision of the regime, which justifies the war of aggression, glorifies Putin, and blesses the killing of Ukrainians,” the CCD concludes.
We remind you
The day before, the FSB of the Russian Federation brought final charges against Denys Popovych and Mykyta Ivankovych, whom the Russian authorities suspect of preparing an assassination attempt on Tikhon (Shevkunov), Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea.