Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has sent greetings to participants in the Third Tatiana Shchipkova Forum “Russian World Against Nazism,” an event dedicated to the “defence of traditional values.” He had previously given his blessing for the forum to be held.
This was reported on the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In his message, the patriarch stressed that “it is important to continue seeking practical ways to neutralise manifestations of neo-Nazism, as well as to uphold the principles of building people’s lives on enduring moral ideals.”
He also recalled that Putin had declared the current year the “Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia.”
The first “Russian World Against Nazism” forum was held in Smolensk on 25 September 2024. According to the organisers, its purpose was to “discuss the denazification of European thinking and strengthen the ‘Russian world’ by developing spiritual, academic and public ties between Russia and Belarus.” Participants discussed “ways to denazify Europe,” “how to defeat European Nazism,” and other topics.
We previously reported that the ideology preached by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill is very close to classical fascism. This assessment was made by Archimandrite Kirill Govorun, a theologian, writer and cleric of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
It was also previously reported that the Moscow Patriarchate publishing house had released a new book by Russian Orthodox Church leader Kirill (Gundyayev), “War: Beyond Visible Causes and Consequences.” In it, the Moscow patriarch speaks of the “historical duty of Russians to be victors” and, in particular, justifies the aggression against Ukraine.
According to Regina Elsner, a researcher on Eastern Christianity and ecumenism at the University of Münster who holds a doctorate in theology, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the key institutions of mobilisation and propaganda.
We previously reported that Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence.
