By Tony Ba rber
I believe that many people did not miss the message of Pope Francis during the week he played , in the framework of the World Day of the Fathers and the Elderly . _ _ Francesco did not blame Vladimir Putin for causing violence in Ukraine (“A pope never appoints a head of state” – he said last month ) .
He did not criticize Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, for supporting Putin’s occupation. However, two weeks ago, the Pope of Argentine descent spoke an uncompromising language against the war. Francesco said the atrocities in Ukraine attributed to Russian forces were reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s .
He also warned Cyril not to become ” Putin ‘s personal priest . ” These comments provoked a strong reaction from the Moscow Patriarchate , which only underlined the fact that Putin ‘s war in Ukraine has highlighted the strong differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the branch . Russian official of Orthodox Christianity . _
How different things looked in 2016, when the Pope and Cyril held talks and hugged each other in the Cuban capital, Havana . It was a truly historic meeting , the first between the leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox institutions , since the establishment of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1589 .
But now Francesco has canceled a second meeting with Cyril , which was scheduled for June in Jerusalem . The division between 2 religious leaders could not be greater than that . What does this tell us about how the war is also fueling religion in the Russian – Western geopolitical rivalry ?
First of all , we should not be surprised that the Russian Orthodox Church – with the exception of some very courageous low- ranking priests – is strongly positioned on Putin ‘s side . As in other Orthodox countries, religious belief in Russia has deep historical ties to national identity and state authority.
But the second most important element is that under the leadership of Kyrgyzstan , the orthodox Church ‘s hierarchy is taking Putin ‘s side , arguing that Russia is defending Orthodox Christianity against a Western infidel and degenerate. This is more than just propaganda. For Cyril, it is a sacred cause.
For Putin, it is a political project , which according to him will strengthen the long orthodox tradition , nurturing a patriotic and obedient citizen. In an article for Ne w Statesman , Ro uan Williams , Archbishop of Canterbury in England from 2002 to 2012 , wrote , among other things : “Vladimir Putin sees himself as the protagonist in a battle for the survival of an integral Christian culture, just as the Islamic State sees itself as the defender of Islamic cultural purity . “
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow made this clear during an extraordinary sermon delivered on March 6, the day before the start of Orthodox Lent . Did he consider the Russian military campaign in Ukraine a struggle to defend Orthodox civilization against Western moral degradation , where gay street marches were singled out as one of the main symptoms .
In his stance , Cyril is inspired by some famous Russians from across the spectrum of Tsarist and Soviet history. Later , Tolstoy , the great-grandson of Leo Tolstoy , author of the famous novel ” War and Peace ” (and a fiery pacifist in his later life ), stated in an interview with a ë Italian newspaper of Russia should t a “ de -nazi “completely shut down Ukraine “, and not to stop the war until its Russian armed forces have reached the border with Poland .
Then there is V j a ç es l lav Nikonov, the grandson of V j a ç esl l av Molotov, the Foreign Minister in the time of Jos i f Stalin , and a man with a lot of blood on his hands during the purges of gave me in the Soviet Union during the 1930s . “ What we are waging is in fact a holy war ” And we have to win it , ” Nikonov said recently . _ _
This is the kind of hyperbole we are used to in the Vladimir Putin era . However, the tensions caused by religion between Russia and the West are real. On Friday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, said that Western weapons supplies to Ukraine ‘s self – defense were justified even by the Church ‘s doctrine of a ” just war. “ “, An argument that will surely be badly received in the Kremlin. / FT – Bota.al