The Libération newspaper refers to the deepening of the “fratricidal” differences in the Orthodox world after the invasion of Ukraine and the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who is in danger of weakening the Moscow Patriarchate.
In a special tribute to religions in the post-Soviet era, Libération notes that “the vision is not only territorial, as in the nationalist vision Orthodoxy is the basis of Russian identity and Putin has clearly created a continuity between communism and Christianity.
“For Putin,” as it stresses, “in fact, it is a matter of instrumentalizing religion, an ideology among others, while for him it is not known that he is a convinced Christian.”
According to the newspaper, Patriarch Kirill, even though he supported the war in Ukraine, does not belong to the circle that has a direct influence on the Russian president, while some experts say that he experienced a period of expulsion in 2014, during the annexation of Crimea, as he remained silent, eager to maintain his Church in Ukraine.
However, according to the newspaper, the war under Putin risks, in the long term, weakening the Moscow Patriarchate, for which Ukraine is a land that counts symbolically, territorially but also economically, in terms of the number of its parishes and priests.
According to the newspaper, the existence of a significant number of bishops of Ukrainian origin could create difficulties within the Patriarchate. Already, more than 300 priests who oppose the war have appeared, calling in an open letter for an end to the hostilities.
“Taking a position in favor of the attacker, Kirill will lose a large part of his power in the Orthodox world,” the newspaper said.
