Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill Urges Citizens Not to Fear Death Amid Mobilization

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, urged Russian citizens on Wednesday not to be afraid of death as President Vladimir Putin moved to mobilize reserve troops to fight in Ukraine. In a sermon at the Zachatyevsky Monastery in Moscow, he told listeners: “Go bravely to fulfill your military duty. And remember that if you lay down your life for your country, you will be with God in his kingdom, glory and eternal life.”

The remarks came shortly after Russian officials said up to 300,000 reservists would be called up to fight. According to the report, Kirill has previously justified Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February on spiritual and ideological grounds.

During the sermon, Kirill said a person of “true faith” is not subject to the fear of death. He said a person becomes “invincible” when there is a “strong dimension associated with eternity” in him and ceases to be afraid of death. “Faith makes a person very strong, because it transfers his consciousness from everyday life, from material worries, to caring for the soul, for eternity,” he said. “Namely, the fear of death drives a warrior from the battlefield, pushes the weak to betrayal and even to rebel against their brothers. But true faith destroys the fear of death.”

The patriarch has previously invoked the idea that Ukrainians and Russians are one people. In the sermon he urged Russians not to regard Ukrainians as enemies, saying the Ukrainian people “are in danger” and that “it is very important that there is no feeling in the hearts that there is an enemy.” Seeking to set aside enmity between neighbors is a step toward peacemaking (Matthew 5:9).

Kirill urged his congregation to pray for the strengthening of “fraternal feelings of the peoples of Holy Russia,” so that “the unity of the Church, which is the guarantee of peace in the vastness of Russia, becomes even stronger.” He also noted that Orthodox Christians in Ukraine continue to pray for “the establishment of peace in the expanses of historical Russia.”

Since the beginning of the war, the patriarch has justified the conflict in speeches describing Russia as a “peace-loving power” that does not engage in “military adventures.” In June, he said Russia was being “attacked” around the world because of feelings of jealousy, envy and indignation, and he said he believed this was happening because Russia is “different.”

Putin said Wednesday that his partial mobilization will affect citizens who are in reserve and that they will undergo additional training before being deployed.

Source: Read the original report