Patriarch Kirill calls on the episcopate to support the army in order to “gain victory”
In recent months, the rhetoric of the ROC leadership regarding the war in Ukraine has morphed from a “diplomatic” stage to an approving one.
On November 20, 2022, at a solemn reception on the occasion of his birthday, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' called on the episcopate to support the army in order to “gain victory,” the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church reports.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church called on the hierarchs "to be vigilant, to multiply fortitude." “We need to strengthen the faith of our people, inspire soldiers, work with our intelligentsia, with the media, so that the word of the Church spreads and helps people live, work, and fight for the native land,” the Patriarch said.
In his opinion, the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church "does not expect easy times." “We need to mobilize. Everyone must fulfill his duty to the best they can, go where they did not go yesterday, to those with whom only yesterday they did not know how to speak correctly.
Today we must work, realizing that we are on the front flank, on the most important line of spiritual defense of our people and our country,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He also wished that the Lord would help all the bishops of the Russian Church “rethink their behavior, their way of life, and their habits. To go where we may not have even thought of going yesterday.”
“May the Lord help us all so that together with everyone who loves their country, we can today stand up for the homeland and do everything to gain victory,” Patriarch Kirill concluded.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Church is not involved in politics in any way.
