Jan 7 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Saturday praised the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting Moscow’s forces fighting in Ukraine in an Orthodox Christmas message designed to rally people behind his vision of modern Russia.
The Kremlin issued Putin’s message after the Russian leader attended an Orthodox Christmas Eve service on his own inside a Kremlin cathedral rather than joining other worshippers in a public celebration.
In his message, accompanied on the Kremlin website by an image of him standing before religious icons, Putin made it clear he saw the Russian Orthodox Church as an important stabilising force for society at a time he has cast as a historical clash between Russia and the West over Ukraine and other issues.
“It is deeply gratifying to note the enormous constructive contribution of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations in unifying society, preserving our historical memory, educating youth and strengthening the institution of family,” said Putin.
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“Church organisations prioritise … Support for fighters participating in special military operations (Ukraine). Such large-scale, complex and truly selfless work deserves our heartfelt respect. “
On Friday, Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire to celebrate, but Kyiv dismissed it as a Moscow ruse to buy time and regroup, with Russian and Ukrainian forces launching artillery fire following the announcement. Exchanged.
While many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for the Moscow War in Ukraine has angered many Ukrainian Orthodox believers and divided the world Orthodox Church. I was allowed to.
About 100 million of her 260 million Orthodox Christians in the world live inside Russia, and some abroad agree with Moscow. But others strongly disagree, dismissing Moscow’s claims that the February 24 invasion of last year was a necessary preemptive strike to protect its own security and that of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population.
There are approximately 30 million Orthodox believers in Ukraine, divided between the Moscow Patriarchate’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church and his two other Orthodox churches, one of which is a monopoly or independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church
