ROME. “In ten days the Russians tried three times to kill me,” accuses the Metropolitan of Kiev. There is a religious war behind the ongoing military conflict. A part of the Ukrainian Orthodox has broken the traditional link with Moscow and instead of the “third Rome” (historically holder of the right to appoint the head of Orthodoxy in the country) they look to the “second Rome”, that is Constantinople. Kiev was founded eight centuries before Moscow and, due to a series of circumstances, found itself under the umbrella of the Russian patriarchate. The rift with Russia is recent but irrecoverable. The Orthodox leader of the autocephalous Church of Ukraine (not subject to the Moscow Patriarchate but recognized by that of Constantinople) the Metropolitan of Kiev. Epiphaniy, in an interview with Greek TV ERT, revealed that from the day the attacks began until Thursday, the Russians tried to kill him three times. According to Epiphaniy, three Russian agents attempted to enter the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael with the Golden Dome. The metropolitan reported that for three nights the Russians tried to enter the monastery “to find me. I have been informed by foreign agencies that I am target number 5 on the Russian list of people to kill. ‘
Pressure
Meanwhile, the pressure of the European Churches on the Patriarch of Moscow and of all the Russias Kirill is accentuated to finally speak out clearly against the war, something which so far he has not done avoiding attitudes contrary to the iron line of Vladimir Putin. After the Polish bishops in recent days, it is now the president of the Conference of European Churches (Cec) Christian Krieger to urge Kirill to raise his voice clearly against Russian aggression in Ukraine and contribute to the efforts to end the war and bring about the peace. “Religious and political leaders from all over the world, as well as the faithful of various Churches, are waiting for you to recognize the aggression, appeal to the political leadership of your country to end the war and return to the path of diplomatic dialogue and international order ”, reads the letter sent by Krieger to the patriarch. “We invite you to affirm the value of all human lives, including the lives of Ukrainian citizens who are under attack.”
Bewilderment
Krieger openly urges Kirill saying that he is “discouraged by your bleak silence on the unprovoked war that your country has declared against another country, which is home to millions of Christians, including Orthodox Christians who belong to your flock”, that is, the Moscow Patriarchate. «As Churches, our horizon is beyond national interests», recommends Krieger, who concludes: «I pray that you will raise your voice to end the war. I pray for the victims of this war and for all those who are working to bring about peace ».
Vatican
Kirill has just met in Moscow with the nuncio to Russia, Msgr. Giovanni D’Aniello, sent by the Pope, praising the “moderate and wise” position of the Holy See and arguing that “the Church cannot participate in a conflict”. Vladimir Putin has always publicly professed his faith and the patriarch of Moscow has never spared his support for the Kremlin. Even at the cost of tearing up the Orthodox Church. And it is precisely to Kirill that the Polish bishops’ conference has turned to call for an end to the war in Ukraine. “Please, Brother, appeal to Vladimir Putin, to end the senseless struggle with the Ukrainian people, in which innocent people are dying, and the suffering does not only affect the military, but also civilians, especially women and children” , writes Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in a letter to Kirill.
Without justifications
The head of the Polish Church adds: «I beg you, as humbly as possible, to appeal for the withdrawal of the Russian army from a sovereign state such as Ukraine. no reason, no reason ever justifies the decision to start a military invasion in an independent country, the bombing of residential complexes, schools or kindergartens ». The leader the bishops stressed that “war is always a defeat of humanity”. The Polish episcopate also asks Kirill to appeal to Russian soldiers «not to participate in this unjust war, to refuse to obey orders, the results of which, as we already see, are numerous war crimes. Refusal to obey orders in this situation is a moral obligation ».
Lacerations
The war in Ukraine, therefore, tears apart the already divided Christian churches of the area. It is a story made up of “schisms” and disputes and of an ecumenical journey that has never had real results. But with the bombs dropped by Russia on Ukrainian cities, today above all the Orthodox world is creaking. Russia, Kirill, who has spoken only a few timid words on peace since the beginning of the conflict, never calling into question the Kremlin, to which the Patriarchate is historically closely linked, seems more isolated. From the base the first distances arrive. , with a letter in which it speaks of “a fratricidal war”. 239 priests and deacons of the patriarchate of Moscow have signed it; but the signatures are added by the hour because the “Russian priests for peace”, as they define themselves themselves, have made public an e-mail address to which subscriptions can be sent. It is a “challenge” to Kirill (and to Putin himself) in a country where the national Church has always been the transmission belt of the government. exhibit in a kind of “Not in my name”. Instead, a direct appeal to Patriarch Kirill arrived from Ukraine: «Your Holiness! We ask you to say a word from First in the hierarchy on the cessation of bloodshed in fratricidal clashes on Ukrainian soil. Ask the leadership of the Russian Federation to immediately stop the hostilities that are already threatening to turn into a world war ”.
Umbrella
It is signed by the Orthodox who are by their choice under the umbrella of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Orthodox Church in Ukraine is divided between those who recognize themselves in the Moscow Patriarchate (authors of this appeal), and the “autocephalous” Church which joined in 2018 with the Kiev Patriarchate. The latter was recognized by the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, while it is considered “schismatic” by the patriarchate of Moscow. But today it is the Ukrainian Orthodox who are under his jurisdiction who are launching the appeal to Kirill. Council of Christian Churches based in Geneva: “The world is watching you, raise your voice.” To complete the panorama, in Ukraine there are two Catholic Churches, one of the Latin rite, and the “Uniate” or Greek-Catholic one. there are Protestants and also Jehovah’s Witnesses. A mosaic, that of the Christian Churches, which did not favor dialogue and which is among the elements of tension that led to the escalation. It is Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, to underline that “in this scenario we also pay for the divisions within the Christian confessions.” In all this, Pope Francis’ will remain to dialogue and mend and, before and the war, the Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate were at work for a second meeting, after that of Cuba in 2016, between Bergoglio and Kirill. Just two weeks ago, the Russian ambassador to the Holy See Aleksandr Avdeev had also given a temporary horizon: “In June or July”. A forecast that now sounds a little too optimistic.
He tries
The Orthodox Church of Russia experiences the conflict in Ukraine as the first great test since 1991, the year that saw the end of the USSR and of a guaranteed survival at very high costs in terms of subordination to the most atheist of powers. In these six decades it has made great strides in the direction of ecumenism and at the same time it has placed itself as a national conscience, but being a national conscience now risks turning into a noose around the neck, above all by virtue of the relationship that has been established, in the meanwhile, with Vladimir Putin.
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