War in Ukraine: Priest threatened with punishment for refusing to pray for Russia's victory

Une dizaine de prêtres russes orthodoxes ont déjà été sanctionnés pour n'avoir pas suivi la ligne officielle de l'église. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – SERGEY VLASOV/PATRIARCH PRESS SERVICE

Un prêtre libéral de premier plan est menacé d'expulsion de l'église russe orthodoxe pour avoir refusé de lire une prière demandant à Dieu de guider la Russie vers la victoire sur l'Ukraine.

In a verdict published this Saturday, January 13, a church court declared that Alexis Uminsky, already relieved of his duties, should be expelled from orders for violating his oath as a priest. The decision was submitted to the opinion of Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Church and staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The affair illustrates the fight of religious authorities against attempts at internal dissidence against a backdrop of support on their part for the "special military operation" Russian on Ukrainian soil.

A dozen priests sanctioned

The war in Ukraine has been going on for almost two years now. About a dozen Russian Orthodox priests were sanctioned for not following the official church line, for example by reading prayers for peace and not victory, according to the group Christians Against Peace. war present on the internet.

In an interview last November, Alexis Uminsky declared that the language of war was totally incompatible with the liturgy of the church.

Ukraine, where the new head of French diplomacy Stéphane Séjourné was expected this Saturday, suffered a vast attack by Russian missiles in the early hours of the day, including a much smaller number that usually could be intercepted by its air defense.  The Ukrainian Air Force indicated on social networks that eight devices had been shot down out of 37 missiles and three drones launched.