The Russian Orthodox Church usually operates as the religious arm of the Russian State. Putin holds no challenge to a Church that could ally with Stalin during World War II.
Just the Russian Orthodox Church Acting Like the Russian Orthodox Church
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Not inclined to be severely critical of the Churches of Eastern Europe, who have faced daunting challenges in the last century. IMO, clergymen should be quite circumspect in commenting on secular politics, generally confine their public remarks to doctrinal and moral teachings or discussions of corporal works of mercy, and address politicians as individual souls. I wouldn’t expect Kirill to be an explicit antagonist of Putin’s.
The Lutheran bodies, the ‘Church of England’, the Catholic Church in Germany and the Low Countries, and the ‘Union of Utrecht’ have made a ruin of themselves absent much in the way of state harassment.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been an instrumentality of the Russian State long before the time of Ivan the Terrible in the sixteenth century.
I don’t doubt the central organs of the Russian Church have been suborned in various ways. Russia has a long history of tyranny. At the same time, the patriarch may have severely compromised freedom of movement. Even absent that, politics is an activity for committed Orthodox laymen and the patriarch’s political activities should be conducted through that conduit, by and large.
I believe that’s what they call a synodal church. Independent of Rome and beholden to their national leaders.
No Bishop von Galen in Russia and not likely there ever will be considering the country’s history.
No differen than Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s ingratiation with the Western liberal progressive elitist intellectuals, news media and politicians. When Roman Catholics fix their heretical pontiff, then Roman Catholics can complain about hypocritical Russian Orthodox hierarchs. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
I wouldn’t expect Kirill to be an explicit antagonist of Putin’s.*
It would be nice if he wasn’t Putin’s cheerleader, though …
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been living in that glass house, and constantly throwing stones against the Catholic Church and the West, for six centuries. Putin’s plaything deserves no respect from Catholics. Of course I am referring to the organization and not to individual believers who may be fervent Christians.
the comments illustrate the difference between the Church as the Body of Christ and the church as a hierarchy and structure of men. (Note the difference in case.)
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