patriarch kirill

Putin's Violent Holy War Rhetoric Made it to the Christian Right Fringe — And There's Reason to Believe it'll Go Mainstream

Thomas Lecaque — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 05:30:57 EDT

It starts with a tweet: https://twitter.com/realRickWiles/status/1585375961033605120?s=20&t=DZQ… And it is, of course, not simply that. Shortly before, in support of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin appointing a “chief exorcist” against Satanism, he said : “Can you think of anybody, in the…

Putin Escalates Ukraine Invasion to 'Cosmic War' — But There is Hope

Mark Juergensmeyer — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 04:38:10 EDT

When Vladimir Putin recently announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine that were purported to have voted in favor of joining Russia, he did so in what’s been described as an “unhinged rant.” In this wide-ranging and often incoherent…

The Far-Right Embrace of the Knights Templar isn't Just About Faith, Tradition or History — It's About Hate

Thomas Lecaque — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 03:36:35 EDT

In 1302, the island of Arwad, off the coast of Syria, fell to Mamluk forces. The Templar garrison died in the assault. The Templar had lost their last stronghold in the Holy Land, and while the other major military orders…

In Sermon on Birth of the 'Fatherland,' Putin's Patriarch Kirill Equates Invasion of Ukraine with Defense of Orthodox Faith

Katherine Kelaidis — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 12:30:46 EDT

If you’ve been educated in North America or Western Europe, you might be forgiven for having never heard of the Battle of Kulikovo, a battle between Russian forces and the Golden Horde, on September 8, 1380, in which the Russian…

Knighting Viktor Orbán for 'Defending Christianity,' Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Demonstrates That 'Culture War' is the Only Theology That Matters to the Global Right

Katherine Kelaidis — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 04:34:08 EDT

On September 5, Patriarch Porfiry of Belgrade, the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, awarded the highest degree of the Order of Saint Sava (the Patriarchate’s highest chivalric order) to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán . According to a statement…

If There's any Retaliation at Next Month's EuroPride Festival in Serbia it's Likely to Have Orthodox Clerical Blessing

Katherine Kelaidis — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 03:35:56 EDT

EuroPride is scheduled to take place in the Serbian capital of Belgrade next month . It’s the first time that EuroPride will take place in a Southeastern European country and the first time it will be held in a majority…

Unprecedented Anti-LGBTQ Statement By Orthodox Church in America Should Be Christian Nationalist Warning Sign to US Orthodoxy

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 01:48:17 EDT

Late last week, the Orthodox Church in America , the second largest Orthodox church body in the country, issued an unprecedented statement seeking to silence any discussion about same-sex relationships and the sacramental inclusion of LGBTQ people in the life…

With This Largely Overlooked Shakeup is the Russian Orthodox Church Looking to Westernize? Yes and No

Katherine Kelaidis — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 04:06:17 EDT

A major shakeup at the highest levels in the Russian Orthodox Church is offering new insight into the Moscow-based church’s internal struggles and strategic position towards the West — and oddly no one in the West seems to care. Metropolitan…

Moscow Suffers its Most High Profile Defection Yet

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 30 May 2022 03:43:19 EDT

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now over 100 days old. When the war began, there were two competing Orthodox churches in Ukraine: the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was created and granted complete independence by the Patriarch of…

Putin Theo-Propaganda Minister Kirill Invokes 600 Years of History to Lay Claim to Ukraine — Here's What it Means

Katherine Kelaidis — Thu, 19 May 2022 01:33:01 EDT

On May 17, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow addressed the upper house of the Russian Parliament in a speech that highlighted the role of the Russian Orthodox Church and its primate as a propaganda agent par excellence for the Putin regime…

How Belief in Moscow as 'The New Rome' Explains Kirill's Astonishing Declaration That 'Russia Has Never Attacked Anyone'

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 09 May 2022 03:06:58 EDT

Saying outrageous, verifiably untrue things has sort of become Patriarch Kirill of Moscow’s brand. The chief Russian Orthodox cleric had a history of outrageous statements before the Russian invasion of Ukraine ( including calling the concept of human rights a…

Is This Tiny Divided Orthodox Nation the Next Front in Russia's Religious War?

Katherine Kelaidis — Thu, 05 May 2022 09:36:18 EDT

I’m writing from Iași, Romania, which was the capital of the Principality of Moldova between 1564 and 1859 and the capital of Romania between 1916 and 1918, as well as the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Moldavia and…

Sanctioning Patriarch Kirill Would Send a Strong Message — Is the Problem That He Doesn't Wear Mullahs' Robes?

Katherine Kelaidis — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 01:29:31 EDT

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine , sanctions against Russian officials have been the most visible and powerful form of support offered by the global community to the Ukrainian people. These sanctions have targeted high-ranking Russian officials…

Be Careful What You Wish For: The Downside of Kicking the Russian Orthodox Church Out of the World Council of Churches

Katherine Kelaidis — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 03:40:58 EDT

Calls have grown for the Russian Orthodox Church to be expelled from the World Council of Churches (WCC) due to the support of the Moscow-based, Patriarch Kirill-led church for the Russian invasion of Ukraine . This effort has in recent…

Another Important Defection From the Russian Patriarchate Looms — The Fate of Orthodoxy in the West Hangs in the Balance

Katherine Kelaidis — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 05:33:32 EDT

As the rhetoric of the Russian Orthodox Church grew even more shocking and dangerous this week , an anonymous group of students at the famed St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris have sent a letter asking their local bishop…

The Russian Patriarch Just Gave His Most Dangerous Speech Yet — And Almost No One in the West Has Noticed

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 02:12:16 EDT

There’s little doubt that Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill’s Forgiveness Sunday Sermon last month received more attention than any Orthodox cleric’s sermon has received in the Western media in a long time. Beyond its frightening absurdity, it’s likely this attention is…

Palestinian Orthodox Christians, Desperate for Help, Have Caught the Attention of Russia

Katherine Kelaidis — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 05:26:06 EDT

In case you’re thinking that Ukraine is the only place in the world where Orthodox Christianity is entangled in a global hotspot, please turn your eyes to Jerusalem. Two days ago, following an eighteen-year struggle, members of the Israeli settler…

Failure to Grasp the Distinct Character and History of Eastern Christianity is Compromising Our Understanding of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:14:17 EDT

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three weeks ago, it’s likely you’ve heard the term Russian World (or Russkii Mir ). It’s easy to conflate this concept with nostalgia for the Soviet Union (it’s just another term for Russia…

'Russkii Mir,' the Russian Equivalent of 'Blood & Soil' Ideology at the Heart of Putin's War, Explained and Rejected by Theologians in New Statement

Daniel Schultz — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 04:52:10 EDT

A new statement by Orthodox Christian theologians—some of whom sign from Russia—dramatically illustrates what’s at stake in this war of (mostly) Christians against Christians, and what implications it has for the American scene. The statement sets its organizers in opposition…

Is Putin a 'Real' Christian? To Understand This Conflict We Need to Ask Different Questions

Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Robert Saler — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 12:00:16 EDT

Vladimir Putin’s campaign of violence in Ukraine has brought to the fore questions about his longstanding religious connections, prompting scholars and journalists to challenge his well-marketed piety and seemingly deep devotion to Russian Orthodox spirituality — the latter of which…

Prominent Russian Orthodox Church Rejects Pro-Putin Patriarch Kirill, Raising Tensions Within Orthodox World

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 03:51:25 EDT

The Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Amsterdam has a rather prominent place in the Orthodox Christian pacifist movement, insofar as such a movement exists. St. Nicholas was, after all, the home parish of Jim Forest, an American writer…

Kirill's Sermon May Be Bad Preaching and Even Worse Theology — But it's a Top-Notch Rejection of Liberal Democracy

Daniel Schultz — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 04:45:53 EST

Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, gave a sermon on forgiveness this past Sunday at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. It was a doozy , to use the vernacular. Many will rightly zero in…

If Kirill's Bizarre Sermon Blaming War on Pride Parades Comes as a Surprise, it's Time to Learn the History

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 01:38:42 EST

Today is Clean Monday, the first day of the Orthodox Christian Lent. Yesterday was Forgiveness Sunday, a day traditionally dedicated to reflecting upon one’s own sins and preparing for and anticipating the long period of fasting and repentance encouraged by…

In His 'Forgiveness Day' Sermon — a Slightly More Sophisticated 'GloboHomo' Rant — Kirill Lays Out an Authoritarian Vision in Which His Version of God Might Dominate and Rule the Human Race

Sarah Riccardi-Swartz — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 01:31:04 EST

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been complicit in the political rhetoric used by Vladimir Putin. In one of her first articles on the topic, Katie Kelaidis reminded…

A Church (Further) Divided: Putin's Patriarch Now Faces a Rebellion From Within the Russian Orthodox Church

Katherine Kelaidis — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 04:34:37 EST

While the world waits for Russian oligarchs to tire of their yachts being seized and for them to turn against Vladimir Putin, it appears that Putin’s counterpart and accomplice in the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All…