The war in Ukraine has split Russian Orthodox parishes in Europe, forcing believers outside Russia to either stay loyal to the church leadership in Moscow despite its Ukraine invasion, leave the church in protest, or seek a middle ground, the RNS website reports today (March 15, 2022).
While public opinion in Europe has almost unanimously denounced the war Russian President Vladimir Putin has unleashed, the small communities of Russian Orthodox faithful to the Moscow Patriarchate are in a bind because its head, Patriarch Kirill, has come out in its favor.
The fact is that Patriarch Kirill and President Putin are close friends, and Patriarch Kirill does not want to upset him, which is the real reason he is supporting Putin's war in Ukraine. Also, Putin has provided Patriarch Kirill with many expensive benefits, including a new police car with flashing red and blue police lights to help him prevent traffic congestion in Moscow and other Russian cities.
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