Patriarch Kirill of Russia, one of the most vocal supporters of the war initiated by Putin against Ukraine, has published a new book in which he presents the armed conflict as a struggle with deep spiritual and political significance.
The appearance of the volume occurs shortly after the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church was, reports Novinite.com.
According to the independent Russian publication Meduza, the book, titled “War. Beyond the visible causes and consequences”, was published by the Moscow Patriarchate publishing house.
The war, presented as a “metaphysical battle”
In the volume, Kirill addresses themes such as sacrifice, heroism, patriotism, and victory, analyzing the war through a “spiritual prism”. The Patriarch describes it as a “metaphysical struggle” and argues that it can have a salvific significance.
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church maintains that war can have a redeeming meaning and describes Russians as having an “earthly calling” to be “warriors of the Lord”. He also writes that the Russian people have “a great responsibility not to abandon their historical duty to be victorious”.
Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly supported the Kremlin’s policy and the invasion of Ukraine. In previous public statements, he described the conflict as a continuation of the war against Nazism, arguing that evil was not “completely eradicated” after the Soviet victory in 1945.
Removed from the EU sanctions list following Bulgaria’s intervention
The publication of the book takes place after the name of the Russian patriarch was removed from the 21st package of sanctions of the European Union. The decision came against the backdrop of Bulgaria’s opposition to his inclusion on the list of sanctioned individuals.
The Bulgarian President Rumen Radev argued then that “the time of the crusades has passed” and warned against the expansion of the conflict beyond the military dimension.
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