Reporter's Notebook: Ukrainian spiritual leader says Russian Orthodox Church extension of Kremlin
As President Donald Trump's administration works toward a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are warning that Vladimir Putin's Russia believes it's actually fighting a "holy war" against the West.
A delegation from the OCU was in the United States recently for the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. The group was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, leader of Kyiv and all of Ukraine.
His translator spoke to Fox News about the spiritual war raging between Russia and Ukraine, which has played a big role in why the battle began and continues to escalate.
His eminence Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the deputy head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's external church relations, says of Russia, "From the point of religious view, this is a liberation of Ukrainians from [the] Godless West, from the evil. And Russia brings to Ukraine the light and truth."
Yevstratiy, and other church watchers like Catholic intellectual George Weigel, have accused the Russian Orthodox Church of being nothing more than an arm of the Kremlin, dressed in religious vestments but doing Putin's bidding.
Writing in the magazine First Things, Weigel noted "… Ukraine mounted and sustained a fierce resistance that denied Russia the quick victory Putin anticipated in February 2022, Russian justifications for the war began to take on a new coloration: The war was now a crusade in defense of Christian civilization."
On Lighthouse Faith podcast, Yevstratiy recalled how at the start of the war, Moscow's Patriarch Kirill sermonized to Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine that if they die in battle they would immediately go to paradise… all sins forgiven. Even to an outsider looking at the complexity of Orthodox Christianity, that sounds more like 'Political Jihad' than the Gospel.
In 2019, Ukraine's Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church by the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). It caused an uproar in Moscow. Kirill and Putin refused to recognize the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew.
Yevstratiy also revealed a scarier version of the war in Ukraine. He says Putin's ultimate goal is more than the reunification of the Soviet Union, or the defense of Christian civilization. It's actually more apocalyptic. He's focused on ushering in the third and final Rome.... in Moscow, which means, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike... as heretics and pagans.
Describing the inner workings of the Orthodox churches may seem a little like 'inside baseball'. But these are the oldest churches of Christianity. They emerged from the five ancient churches led by the apostles who knew Jesus personally.
The apostle Andrew went to the east in Constantinople; Mark to Alexandria (Egypt); Peter to Antioch (Rome); James to Jerusalem, and Barnabas to Cyprus. From these men, along with the itinerant Apostle Paul, Christianity spread throughout the globe. So, this conflict between Russia and Ukraine has deep spiritual roots. And Putin knows it.
Yestratiy and Epiphany were present at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. and heard President Trump declare his desire to be a peacemaker.
Vestratiy said, "We pray and we ask God Almighty to bless this very good and Christian desire."
Adding, "May God bless Ukraine. May God bless America."
The full interview is on Lauren Green's Lighthouse Faith podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pro-Ukrainian partisans destroy car used by Russian drone operators in occupied Melitopol, Atesh claims
A car used by drone operators in the Russian 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade was destroyed by the Atesh partisan group in occupied Melitopol overnight on June 10, the group claimed. The Atesh group says they destroyed a military vehicle which contained a "mobile electronic warfare system," claiming they temporarily "paralyzed" the work of the Russian unit. "The resistance in southern Ukraine is alive and we are increasing the pressure every day," the Atesh group said in a post to Telegram. Meanwhile, Russia conducted a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv and Odesa. One was killed, and seven were injured in both cities. In Odesa, a medical facility and maternity hospital were damaged in the Russian attack. "An incendiary mixture was used, which engulfed the car in a matter of seconds and completely destroyed it," Atesh said. The group claims they destroyed the car while it was left unguarded after studying the location and habits of the Russian crew. "This vehicle was used for covert movement and tactical missions in the south of Ukraine. Now the enemy is left without critical transport," the Atesh group said. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the group's claims. The Atesh partisan group regularly conducts sabotage attacks in Russia and Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Read also: Ukraine begins new major prisoner exchange with Russia We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Russia strikes Kyiv and Odesa with aerial attacks, at least two people wounded, officials say
Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv overnight into Tuesday, with air raid sirens blaring for hours and residents hearing regular explosions, and local officials reporting damage to residential buildings and at least two people wounded. Air raid sirens have been blasting since midnight local time in the capital and air defense systems have been working non-stop in the city center, a CNN producer said. A large number of unmanned aerial vehicles are still reaching the capital, said Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko in a post on Telegram. At least two people have been wounded so far in the capital, Klitschko added. Preliminary damage was reported in the Desnianskyi, Obolonskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration. In the southern port city of Odesa, Russian attacks struck a maternity ward, according to Andriy Yermak, Chief of Presidential Staff. A residential building was also hit, according to Odesa mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, adding at least one person was killed based on preliminary reports. The overnight attacks follow Russia's biggest drone strike on Ukraine on Monday, where Russia fired 479 UAVs at Ukraine in an overnight aerial assault, surpassing the highest number of drones Moscow has launched in a single day for the second consecutive weekend. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine says 'massive' Russia drone attacks hit Kyiv, Odesa
Russia carried out "massive" drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and port city of Odesa early Tuesday, killing one person and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said, calling for further sanctions. Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa on Tuesday, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones. There is damage to civilian infrastructure and fires," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kiev, an AFP journalist heard at least 12 explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding in a separate post around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) that "a new batch of UAVs (drones) is flying to the capital". Several people were reported wounded in the attacks that hit at least seven districts, with buildings and cars on fire. - Prisoner swap - Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. On Sunday, Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, a second round of peace talks in Turkey are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at the talks over the weekend was for release all seriously wounded or sick prisoners of war and those under the age of 25 -- a deal that did not specify the number of soldiers involved. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week said it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. On Sunday, the Russian army also claimed to have attacked the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, already partially under Russian control, a first in more than three years of conflict. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Ukraine's Yermak said on Tuesday, in a thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow claims to have annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that it would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West, describing Moscow's demands as "ultimatums". bur-dhw/tym
