The ROC shares guilt for the war against Ukraine - the Ecumenical Patriarch

According to the spiritual head of the Orthodox Christians, the Kremlin uses the church to achieve its strategic goals. The Ecumenical Patriarch Archbishop Bartholomew stated that the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) shares responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine, but he is ready to help in the post -war "spiritual revival" of Russia. The Patriarch stated this on Wednesday, March 22, during a press conference in the Lithuanian Parliament, Reuters reports.

In particular, the spiritual head of Orthodox Christians reproached the Russian Patriarch Cyril because of his blessing of the invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, which led to the split of the World Orthodox Church. Bartholomew also stated that the Russian authorities were using the church as a "tool to achieve its strategic goals.

" "The church and state leadership of Russia cooperated in the crime of aggression and divided responsibility for the following crimes, such as the scandalous theft of Ukrainian children. Our inter -religious dialogue should be focused on ways of confrontation and neutralization Bartholomew. At the same time, the Patriarch stated the need for "spiritual revival" in Russia and Ukraine and expressed his willingness to help with this after the war.

"Our common Christian duty is to use the forces of dialogue to return our Russian brothers and sisters to our community of common values," the Archbishop said. We will remind, on March 12 the Patriarch of the ROC Cyril complained to the Pope and the UN Commissioner for Human Rights for the "illegal expulsion" of the religious community from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Earlier, on March 10, the Pope Francis said that he planned to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the second day of a full -scale invasion of Ukraine, but the head of the Russian diplomacy Sergey Lavrov refused to request Pontice. We will also remind, on February 26, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallahler, who performs the functions of the Vatican Foreign Minister, said that Pope Francis was going to visit Ukraine in the future, but he also wants to visit Moscow.