Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Sunday, on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, the “consolidating” role of the Church for society and youth, while Russian Patriarch Kirill supported his offensive in Ukraine.
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“I would like to express my deep appreciation for your tireless and selfless work in preserving enduring historical, spiritual, moral and family values, in educating and enlightening young people,” Putin said in a message after taking part in liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
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“For many years, your wise pastoral word has served to consolidate society (…) Today, when we are facing serious challenges, it is particularly important”, added the Russian president.
Easter is the most important celebration in the Orthodox calendar in both Russia and Ukraine.
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In the past, the Russian patriarch Kirill justified the offensive in Ukraine by asserting that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples were brothers who had been forcibly separated, in particular by the West.
A point of view swept away by the Ukrainian government, which denounces a postcolonial and imperialist conflict led by the Kremlin and which has multiplied searches and prosecutions targeting churches and priests deemed close to Moscow.
The Ukrainian authorities have also angered the Russian Church by announcing, in the midst of the conflict, the expulsion of the monks currently occupying the famous monastery of the Lavra of the Caves in Kiev, described as the “cradle” of Russian Orthodoxy.
The patriarch Kirill had denounced in March this expulsion announced as “monstrous”.
