He does not hold an assault rifle, does not command an army and does not produce drones. But Europe considers him part of the machine that justifies war. Why did Patriarch Kirill enter the draft for the 21st sanctions package against Russia — and why did Bulgaria threaten to block it? Are these sanctions against a clergyman, or against political influence dressed in a cassock? And is there a risk that the topic will be used to suggest that Europe is at war with Orthodoxy? Conversation with journalist Toni Nikolov and theology associate professor Kostadin Nushev in the program "This Morning".
Toni Nikolov is categorical that this is not about sanctions against the Orthodox faith: "Of course, these are sanctions against a specific person. Any attempts to instrumentalize faith, religion, really must be very carefully repelled." According to him, it is important to distinguish between Orthodoxy as a religion and the actions of a specific church leader.
"And the Russian patriarch himself declared that this war is holy. And he signed a decision at a Russian national council. When we talk about a holy war, this is very similar to a crusade."
Nikolov emphasizes that this is a war between two countries with Orthodox traditions and close historical ties: "This is a war in which people are killed. I wonder how a clergyman of such rank can reconcile this with the Orthodox liturgy, in which we pray for peace from heaven and peace on earth.“
He recalled that after the start of the war in 2022, many Orthodox churches, as well as other Christian communities around the world, expected Patriarch Kirill to use his authority to achieve a truce.
„They expected that he could do something with his words and some kind of truce could occur in the third, sixth, ninth month. This did not happen", Nikolov said.
Words can become weapons
When asked whether Patriarch Kirill's blessing of the war could turn words into weapons, Assoc. Prof. Kostadin Nushev replied:
„Yes, exactly. The fact that he, as a spiritual leader, uses the word, his pastoral position to justify the war, is actually this tool, this weapon, which is the reason for him to be seen as a high-ranking official who, with his ministry, supports and assists in the incitement of the war instead of being a peacemaker.“
The theologian pointed out that the role of the Church is, in principle, the opposite: “The ministry of the Church should be aimed at preventing military conflicts.“
As an example, he gave the reaction of Metropolitan Onufry, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which until the beginning of the war was under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. “After the war began, he declared that this was fratricide and the fratricide sin of Cain, and called on Patriarch Kirill to take care of his flock in Ukraine.“
According to Nushev, when it became clear that Patriarch Kirill supported military aggression, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church stopped commemorating him in services and declared independence. “He does not manifest himself as a spiritual shepherd, impartial and as a peacemaker.“ “You cannot serve two masters“
Assoc. Prof. Nushev emphasized that according to Christian teaching, spiritual authority is incompatible with serving political regimes.
“The Gospel says that Christians should be peacemakers and that one cannot serve two masters. You cannot be an employee of the secular regime and want to enjoy the spiritual authority of a high-ranking cleric or pastor at the same time.“
According to him, this is precisely the main contradiction surrounding the personality of the Russian patriarch. “These are sanctions against a specific person, and as an individual.“
Nushev also commented on the logic behind the European sanctions: “You cannot be a war propagandist, an ideologist of war, and want to enjoy all the freedoms and rights of the European Union as a private person, while at the same time conducting propaganda against Europe and the West.“