Russia’s war in Ukraine has exposed the deep connection between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian political and military leadership. In a recent statement made during the war, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) asked God to “preserve the Russian land” from “evil forces” and specified that he was referring to “the land which now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and peoples.”
For many people of faith, and religious leaders, Russian religious nationalism, including that espoused by religious leaders, is deeply troubling. It helps fuel Russia’s rationale for decimating Ukraine’s cities and forcing the flight of over ten million Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children. Today the risks of nuclear accidents, nuclear conflict, and World War Three force us to highlight the dangers of religious militancy and expansionism, which are among the greatest threats to world peace.
