Greek priest: Sad to see Orthodox Christians fighting each other in Ukraine
Fr. Georgios Katsaounis recalled the historical ties between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and criticized the Greek Prime Minister’s statement about a “war with Russia.”
The rector of the Church of Saint Spyridon in a suburb of Athens, Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis, spoke in an interview with the «Εν Αληθεία» program of UOJ in Greece about the war between Russia and Ukraine.
"It is sad that two Orthodox countries are fighting each other, and Ukrainians and Russians are brothers. Essentially, it was one country. Kyivan Rus – Kyiv was the first capital of the Russians," the priest emphasized.
The priest also commented on the Greek Prime Minister's statement that the country "is at war with Russia": "Excuse me, did anyone ask us, the citizens? I don't understand why we are at war with Russia."
Regarding the ecclesiastical side of the conflict, the archpriest noted: "It is sad when Orthodox use the Church to serve political interests. This is unseemly. As a Christian and as a clergyman, I do not like this. I believe that Orthodox Christians should have unity and ultimately serve not чужие interests, but the interests of the Gospel. This is what should be above all."
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Patriarch Bartholomew again called the war between Ukraine and Russia "fratricidal".
