On Kremlin’s “special religious operation”

Everyone knows about the role of the Moscow Patriarchate in recent events, as it created the ideological basis for the annexation of Crimea and the Russian aggression in the Donbas. In fact, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) served as one of the tools of the Kremlin’s aggressive policies. Therefore, the news of the first-ever meeting between Pope Francis and the head of the ROC Patriarch Kirill, held in Cuba on February 12, caused dissatisfaction among the Ukrainian public from the very beginning.

However, it was the atmosphere of Pope Francis’s communication with Patriarch Kirill that caused even more outrage. The heads of churches exchanged “fraternal kiss” thrice, hugged and greeted each other. “We spoke as brothers. We have the same baptism. We are bishops. We spoke of our Churches. We agreed that unity is created by journeying together. Our conversation was open and authentic,” Pope Francis was quoted as saying by Vatican Radio. In turn, Patriarch Kirill said that the two churches would continue to work closely “against war, so that human life can develop in the entire world, and strengthen the bases of personal and family morality.”

Still, the greatest public discontent was caused by the result of the meeting of the patriarchs, a long declaration signed by Francis and Kirill and containing two items concerning Ukraine:

“26. We deplore the hostility in Ukraine that has already caused many victims, inflicted innumerable wounds on peaceful inhabitants and thrown society into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. We invite all the parts involved in the conflict to prudence, to social solidarity, and to action aimed at constructing peace. We invite our Churches in Ukraine to work towards social harmony, to refrain from taking part in the confrontation, and not to support any further development of the conflict.

“27. It is our hope that the schism between the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine may be overcome through existing canonical norms, that all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and harmony, and that the Catholic communities in the country may contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian brotherhood may become increasingly evident.”

“The declaration of Pope Francis and KGB hack Kirill is the spiritual version of the Munich pact. Thanks a lot, Pope Francis, or should one say Pope Neville [Chamberlain. – Ed.],” the US Atlantic Council’s Senior Fellow Adrian Karatnycky posted on Facebook.

So, what did this meeting show? Should it be taken for a new indulgence for the Russian aggressor? What are its implications for Ukraine? The Day turned for comments to director of the Department of Religion Studies within the Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy (the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), president of the Ukrainian Association of Religion Researchers Anatolii KOLODNY.

“We, the religion researchers of Ukraine, see this event as a very bad development. It shows that our Foreign Ministry is not up to its task in this direction as well. But, anyway, the Vatican has revealed what it is for Ukraine.

“The Roman Curia has long pursued a pro-Moscow policy. When Yosyp Slipy, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, returned to Rome in 1963, he spoke at the Second Vatican Council and asked for his church to be made a patriarchate. This statement was greeted with applause, but to date, this applause has not been implemented. They made him a cardinal (who can leave Rome only with the permission of the Pope) to prevent him from going anywhere. He was allowed to hold neither councils of bishops nor even synods of the church. So, Slipy did it secretly: bishops came from the diaspora and held councils masked as conferences.

“The old proposition that the Vatican Curia was not working in Ukraine’s interests was confirmed once again today. It turned out that they were preparing in secret this Joint Declaration with the Moscow Patriarchate, which Francis probably signed without even reading it. The ROC used the occasion when the papal throne went to a man without political experience, who therefore could be cheated with ease.

“Pope Francis looks every bit a simpleton, seeing everything on the everyday level. The Roman Curia’s new leaders are younger people who have replaced the old hands. They, maybe, do not understand the diplomatic issues and statements, do not ascribe true value to them, like the Pope, who sometimes makes surprising statements. Meanwhile, Russian Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), who participated in the preparation of the Declaration, went through a fine diplomatic schooling; he was the one to foist the document on the other party, and representatives of the Vatican agreed with him.

“The declaration is yet another victory for the Kremlin’s foreign policy. In effect, it offers support to the church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine rather than Ukrainian churches, like the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church or the Kyiv Patriarchate. In accordance with the signed Declaration, Kirill will present himself as the sole representative of the Orthodox world in Ukraine.  The declaration is ostensibly calling for peace (as if saying ‘brethren, let us live friendly!’), but it does not condemn the Russian aggression and even fails to emphasize the fact that our country is under attack. Kirill is helping Russia to pursue policies it cannot pursue through politicians. And now, these policies have the Pope signing off on them as well. The Declaration implicitly delineates the ‘canonical territory’ of the Moscow church, which cannot be infringed by anyone else.

“Nonetheless, we should not ascribe great importance to this meeting. In foreign policy, few people pay any attention to the position of the Pope and the Catholic Church. His church is a historical relic, which gets contacted at times. But at the same time, the Vatican has Europe’s second largest gold and foreign exchange reserves. So, the ROC wants to use this meeting to allow Russia to transfer its money to the Vatican Bank. This represents a subtle policy by Russia, which we overlooked.

“As for the consequences of the signing of the Declaration on the eve of the Ecumenical Orthodox Council, it has improved Patriarch Kirill’s standing. He is waging a covert struggle for primacy in the Orthodox world. This meeting has allowed Kirill to trump the card obtained by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who appeared as spokesman for the Orthodox Church at his meeting with the Vatican. The role of the Ecumenical Patriarch has thus been lessened.”