Archimandrite Nikanor, abbot of the Montenegrin monastery “St. St. Cosmas and Damian“, categorically distanced himself from the actions of the Russian Patriarch Kirill on the air of NOVA NEWS. In the program “Offensive“ the Bulgarian cleric stated that the international sanctions imposed against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church are entirely personal and expressed indignation at the Russian military propaganda, which contradicts Christian values and destroys trust in the temple.
The Bulgarian abbot explained that the international restrictions against the Russian patriarch are not directed against the institution or the believers, but represent personal responsibility for his political positions. Nikanor made a clear parallel with criminal law in civil life, where everyone is responsible only for their own deeds.
“I have no relationship, access and opportunity to use the estates, residences, yacht, private plane and bank accounts of Patriarch Kirill. There is no way we can be one family with him“, declared Archimandrite Nikanor. He added that it is unacceptable for the mistakes and personal choices of a specific spiritual leader to be transferred to the entire Christian community.
During the conversation, the abbot of the Montenegro Monastery sharply criticized Patriarch Kirill's sermons justifying military actions in Ukraine. According to him, concepts such as “satanic West“ and “holy war“ have no place in Orthodox teaching.
“You will not find this either in the Gospel or in the Holy Fathers. There is no such thing as “satanic West” and “holy war” in Christianity”, Nikanor was categorical. He defined such public attitudes as a dangerous form of “ideo-worship”, in which people stop seeking salvation from God, and expect Vladimir Putin and Russia to solve their problems.
The cleric's commentary placed particular emphasis on the emblematic case of a photo of Patriarch Kirill, distributed by the Moscow Patriarchate. The original frame shows a luxury watch from the “Breguet” brand worth tens of thousands of euros, which was subsequently digitally deleted when the image was republished.
According to Archimandrite Nikanor, it was this clumsy attempt at manipulation that caused the most serious damage to the spiritual authority of the Russian Church. He emphasized that society has a natural expectation of modesty from its pastors. “People do not react so much to the fact itself as to the attempt to hide it and then explain it away. When we talk about spiritual authority, the expectation is for modesty. And when the public image shows the opposite, doubt and distance inevitably arise“, summarized the Bulgarian cleric.