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Ukraine Is Now 'Holy War,' Russian Church Declares
The Russian Orthodox Church has approved a document that deems President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine a "Holy War."
The declaration came during a congress of the World Russian People's Council in which religious, political and cultural figures in the country met at the site of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a focal point for the Orthodox faith in Russia.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, also heads the council and is an ally of Putin. He has been criticized for providing a religious justification for the war and failing to unequivocally condemn the killing of people in Ukraine.
In February 2022, Patriarch Kirill said that Ukraine and Belarus were part of "Russian lands" and called the Ukrainians who were defending themselves against Russian aggression as "forces of evil," pitching the war as a battle for the future of Christianity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) presents flowers to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill in Moscow on February 1. The Russian Orthodox Church he heads has declared the invasion of Ukraine a "holy war."ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/GETTY IMAGES
"From a spiritual and moral point of view, the special military operation is a Holy War, in which Russia and its people, are defending the single spiritual space of Holy Russia," the document released on Wednesday said under the heading "special military operation," which is the official Kremlin term for the invasion.
Ukraine is now "holy war," Russian church declares
The Russian Orthodox Church said that the war in Ukraine is "defending the single spiritual space of Holy Russia."
www.newsweek.com