Pacifism is heresy according to the Russian Orthodox Church

[barnhart]

I would guess that Patriarch Kirill considers it heresy to do anything but fight for mother Russia.

[Szdfan]

I would guess that Patriarch Kirill considers it heresy to do anything but fight for mother Russia.

The hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church is complicit with the war and the militarization of Russian culture and society. The "Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces" in Kubinka, outside Moscow, makes this connection clear. The church was consecrated in 2020.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Cath ... med_Forces

The walls of the church, decorated with murals, include battle scenes from Russian military history and Bible scripture texts. The decoration of the lower (small) church is made of ceramics and is decorated with Gzhel painting, with pieces of glass smalt used in the manufacture of the mosaic panels. The central apse dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ is metal relief.

Stained glass mosaics in the cathedral's vault feature various Red Army orders, accompanied by their respected ribbons that denote their class. Many of these orders display the faces of prominent military leaders from the Imperial Russian Army, who made a significant contribution to the Russian history. The Soviet Union's renewed wave of nationalism during the Great Patriotic War prompted the inclusion of the most revered Orthodox Christian saints who had served in the historical armies of Russia.

The floors of the cathedral are metal. The metal is from melted-down Nazi trophies, such as weapons and tanks that were seized from Wehrmacht forces. The act of walking on the floors of the cathedral is intended to symbolise "delivering a blow to the fascist enemy”.

The cathedral is said to contain Adolf Hitler's cap and personal clothes, which were described as trophies and religious relics by Russian Deputy Minister of Defense.

The Cathedral is controversial among other Orthodox groups outside of the Russian Orthodox Church:

The church, and the imagery within it, have been linked to the 'Russkiy Mir' or 'Russian World' theology which some Orthodox Christian Churches outside Russia have described as a heresy. This ideology has been described in the Financial Times as "Putin’s creation of an ideology that fuses respect for Russia’s Tsarist, Orthodox past with reverence for the Soviet defeat of fascism in the Second World War. This is epitomised in the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, 40 miles west of Moscow, opened in 2020." During the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the church has come to be seen as a symbol of Russian militarism, with Russian operations in Ukraine being described as "holy" by Russian authorities.

[Szdfan]

Ken quotes his source:
"He subsequently resigned from the ROC and was banned from preaching ahead of his church trial in June."
Sounds improbable. If he really dropped his membership in the ROC, in what way will they "try" him? Either the first part of the statement is wrong or the second.

He was banned by the Orthodox Church -- they can still ban him even if he dropped his membership -- and the ban was upheld by an ecclesiastical court.

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/ ... ist-priest

A CHURCH court in Russia has ruled that pacifism is incompatible with Orthodox teaching, and has backed sanctions against a priest who criticised the invasion of Ukraine.

“The court saw significant ecclesiological errors in his writings — including a denial of the holiness and saving powers of the Russian Orthodox Church,” the judgment said.

“His activities sowed distrust of the Church and were aimed at alienating believers — all of which was regarded by the court as violating the priestly oath.”

It said that it had conducted a “theological analysis” of the priest’s subsequent posts on the Telegram social-media channel, and concluded that he should be banned from the priesthood, pending “public repentance”.

Burdin was also detained and fined by secular authorities (i.e. the police) for breaking Russian law that prohibits "discrediting the army."

The priest was detained for “discrediting the army” after making a speech in his parish church of the Resurrection of Christ, Karabanovo, during which he condemned the “fratricide” and insisted that Christians could not “come to church pretending nothing has happened”.

Fr Burdin told the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant that a parishioner had filed a complaint under Russia’s Administrative Code. He had attempted to evade a threatened prison sentence by joining the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria, only to be told that his Bishop had refused to grant him a letter of release, and instituted court proceedings.