Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill links nuclear weapons to God’s grace

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been criticised for saying that Russia’s nuclear weapons were a manifestation of God’s “grace and mercy”, BBC World Service.

Patriarch Kirill described nuclear weapons as the “shield for the Motherland.” Speaking at the Holy Trinity-St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, according to Russian media reports, he linked the creation of the Soviet atomic bomb to the prayers of the Russian saint Seraphim of Sarov.

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church is known for his pro-military stance, but the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper said his latest remarks represented a “shift for the church and its morals”.

BBC Correspondent Paul Moss noted that the paper normally supports the Kremlin and its allies, but its columnist argued that, by the patriarch’s logic, God would have had to bestow his grace on the United States first, since the US developed an atomic bomb before the Soviet Union.

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Previously, ZMINA reported that Bulgaria opposed the European Union’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia unless Russian Orthodox Church leader Gundyaev and Lukoil co-founder Vagit Alekperov were included. 

Patriarch Kirill actively supports Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. He has notably stated that dying in the war against Ukraine “washes away all sins.” Additionally, the Russian Orthodox Church is involved in the indoctrination of Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territories.

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