Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated his 70^th birthday last week and was lauded by Russian officials for his leadership. One notable supporter was Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. “God put you in power so that you could perform a service of special importance and of great responsibility for the fate of the country and the people entrusted to your care,” the Patriarch said. He wished Putin “health and long life” saying, “You gained the reputation of a national leader selflessly devoted to the Fatherland, sincerely loving the Motherland and giving all its strength to it,” and asked that God would grant the president’s ongoing 20-year rule with “abundant assistance.

Russia and Vladimir Putin continue to be a hot topic of global conversation since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Putin’s annexation of several regions in southern and eastern Ukraine have further escalated speculations that nuclear war is imminent. Patriarch Kirill has been a staunch supporter of the Ukrainian invasion, calling its detractors, including members of his own church, “forces of evil.”  The war has been a source of religious conflict, with 92 churches in Ukraine being reported as being under attack in May. Kirill has framed the war in Ukraine in religious terms, with the Russian forces being seen as defending “divine law.” Kirill’s words include turning on members of the church as Ukraine is the home of over 12,000 Russian Orthodox churches and yet they have not been spared from Russian munitions or violence. Over 400 parishes that had remained loyal to Kirill have cut ties with the Russian Orthodox Church since the invasion.

In September, Kirill preached a sermon in which he said, “sacrifice in the course of carrying out your military duty washes away all sins,” seemingly encouraging a Russian-style “jihad” or “holy war.” Britain imposed sanctions against Kirill in June while the United States has not taken similar action. Hanna Hopko, a former member of the Ukrainian Parliament has criticized the lack of action by the United States, saying, “As a chief cheerleader of the Russian regime, it is baffling that he has so far escaped sanctioning.” Pope Francis has rebuked Kirill’s support of Putin and the war after the two had spoken, saying, “I listened and then told him: I don’t understand anything about this. Brother, we are not state clerics, we cannot use the language of politics but that of Jesus. We are pastors of the same holy people of God. Because of this, we must seek avenues of peace, to put an end to the firing of weapons.” He also warned that, “The patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin’s altar boy.” Kirill responded to the Pope’s remarks, writing in a statement, “It’s regrettable that a month and a half after the conversation with Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis chose the wrong tone to convey the content of this conversation.” Since that statement, the war in Ukraine continues without a peaceable end in sight.