Throughout history, the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has been subject to the Russian Orthodox Patriarch in Moscow. But in May this year, the church in Ukraine broke with the leadership in Moscow and condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine. Nevertheless, Ukrainian authorities have suspected the church of continuing to cooperate with the Russian Orthodox Church. The church’s properties have been searched several times. Unusual statement On Tuesday evening, the head of Ukraine’s National Security Council made a strong appeal to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. DRASTIC: Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s Security Council, asks the Orthodox Church in the country to declare President Putin and Patriarch Kirill as devils. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP – If you have no connection to Russia, then you can officially say goodbye and say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is Satan, demanded Oleksiy Danilov. He made the statement on Ukrainian TV and it has been reproduced by the news agency DPA. Danilov added that the supreme leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is also a devil. The Russian church leader made headlines this autumn when he said that Putin was appointed by God to rule Russia. Dispute over property The move by the head of the Ukrainian Security Council is linked to a dispute over a property. The question is whether the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will still be allowed to live in the famous Cave Monastery in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. RELIGION AND POLITICS: Service in a Ukrainian Orthodox church in the capital Kyiv. Photo: GENYA SAVILOV / AFP The authorities have terminated the church’s lease in the historic monastery from New Year. The monastery’s leader Pavel Lebed has criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyj for this and asked that the church still be allowed to stay there. Fear of spies According to the website CNE.news, the Ukrainian authorities want to change the name of the Orthodox Church in the country. They will suspect that Russian spies are active in the church. Moreover, they believe that ties to the Russian Orthodox Church’s leadership in Moscow are still too close. In the Constitution of the Ukrainian Church, all references to the Moscow Patriarchate must be removed. But spiritually, Patriarch Kirill in Moscow will still have influence over the church in Ukraine, writes CNE.news. The Russian war against Ukraine is now in its eleventh month. Last autumn, Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev said that the war in Ukraine is “a holy conflict with Satan”. Medvedev is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
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Ukrainian military leader believes the church should call Putin a devil – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
