The Russian Orthodox Church justifies the war, and this is nothing other than the use of Christianity as a tool to achieve Russia’s political goals.
The Rev. Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), said this in an interview with the KAI news agency.
According to Burghardt, the LWF has repeatedly expressed disagreement with Patriarch Kirill’s characterization of the war against Ukraine as a “holy war.”
“Since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, the LWF’s position has remained absolutely clear: we have condemned the war and issued a number of public statements expressing our disagreement with Patriarch Kirill’s characterization of it as a ‘holy war.’ The way the Russian Orthodox Church justifies the war is nothing other than the use of Christianity as a tool to achieve Russia’s political goals,” Anne Burghardt stressed.
She noted that in the context of ecumenical dialogue, the Lutheran World Federation’s partner is the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which brings together Orthodox participants in the dialogue.
“Unfortunately, the Russian Orthodox Church has declined to participate in these meetings. Nevertheless, the issue itself is very important. Dialogue with extremists is difficult. However, forums where ideologically blinded groups still meet can and should be used to call for metanoia, that is, spiritual transformation and conversion,” Burghardt stressed.
As LF reported, Western countries have not yet learned to view the Russian Church as an instrument of influence. However, some countries are already able to recognize this form of influence and counter it. This is stated in an analytical review of the Russian Orthodox Church’s foreign policy prepared by journalist and religious affairs expert Ksenia Luchenko.
According to Regina Elsner, a researcher of Eastern Christianity and ecumenism at the University of Münster and a doctor of theology, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the key institutions for mobilization and propaganda.
We previously reported that Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence.
