In his Christmas message on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin praised the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting Moscow’s troops that invaded Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The Kremlin issued a message to Putin after the Russian leader attended Christmas Eve service at the Kremlin cathedral alone instead of joining other worshippers.
In his message, which was accompanied on the Kremlin’s website by an image of him standing in front of icons, Putin said he sees the Russian Orthodox Church as an important stabilizing force in society at a time he describes as a historic clash between Russia and the West. Ukraine and other issues.
“It is deeply gratifying to note the enormous constructive contribution of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations to the unification of society, the preservation of our historical memory, the education of youth and the strengthening of the institution of the family,” Putin said.
“Church organizations give priority … to support our soldiers participating in a special operation (in Ukraine). Such large-scale, complex and truly dedicated work deserves sincere respect.”
On Friday, Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire to mark the Orthodox Christmas, but Kyiv dismissed it as a ploy by Moscow to buy time to regroup, and the shelling has not stopped.
Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, but the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine has angered many Ukrainian Orthodox believers and divided the Orthodox Church around the world.
Of the 260 million Orthodox in the world, about 100 million are in Russia, and some of them abroad are in unity with Moscow.
Others, however, vehemently deny and reject Moscow’s claim that its invasion on February 24 last year was a pre-emptive strike necessary to protect its own safety and the safety of Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine.
Ukraine has approximately 30 million Orthodox believers, divided between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and two other Orthodox churches, one of which is the independent, autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
During the service on Friday, Patriarch Kyrylo of Moscow criticized Ukraine for cracking down on branches of the Orthodox Church that have long-standing ties to Moscow.
Source: Hot News
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