D032 Condemning Patriarch Kirill of Moscow for Promoting War in Ukraine
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,
That this 80th General Convention condemns Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, for providing religious justification for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and promoting Russian aggression as a “holy war”; and be it further
Resolved, that this Conventions praises the courage of the more than 300 priests of the Russian Orthodox Church who signed a letter condemning the aggression and expressed their grief over the ordeal of the Ukrainian people, calling for an end to the war; and be it further
Resolved, that this Convention calls for Patriarch Kirill to repudiate his comments, make true repentance, and call for an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine by arriving at a just peace; and be it further
Resolved, that this Convention directs that until Patriarch Kirill repudiates his comments, or his comments are repudiated by his successor, the Episcopal Church shall not engage in any official ecumenical outreach with the Russian Orthodox Church, including the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia; and be it further
Resolved, that this Convention directs the Secretary of General Convention or their designee to send a copy of this resolution to Patriarch Kirill; the Rev. Prof Ioan Sauca, Acting General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; Metropolitan Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York and First-Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia; and Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, Chair of the National Council of Churches.
Explanation
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and has, since the beginning of the Ukraine War, blessed the war and declared it to be a struggle of “metaphysical significance,” for humanity to follow God’s laws. In his errant teachings, he has advocated for bloodshed citing “gay pride parades”, and has made other inflammatory statements providing the Russian Orthodox Church’s blessing for the war in Ukraine that has cost countless lives and resulted in well documented war crimes.
In the aftermath of the Bucha massacre on April 3, 2022, Kirill praised the armed forces of Russia for "feats" of service, saying Russia is "peaceful", despite the well documented evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces.
As a Church, it is important for us to send a clear message that to use God to justify an unprovoked invasion that has resulted in the deaths of countless people and well documented war crimes is not acceptable and that we, as the Episcopal Church, condemn his actions wholeheartedly and refuse to engage in any further dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church until these comments are repudiated.