In a dimly lit Orthodox church in Antalya, the Rev. Ioann Koval stood, clutching a Bible and a flickering candle. This marked one of his early services in Turkey after he had been defrocked by the Russian Orthodox Church for daring to utter a prayer for peace in Ukraine. As tensions escalated and President Vladimir Putin called for a partial mobilization of reservists, Moscow Patriarch Kirill commanded his clergymen to pray for victory. However, Koval, positioned before the altar and his congregation in Moscow, chose the path of peace over obedience to his religious hierarchy.
"Victory" in the prayer, according to Koval, infused a propagandistic undertone that shaped perceptions and thinking among the faithful, compelling them to embrace a particular perspective on the hostilities. "It went against my conscience. I couldn't submit to this political pressure from the hierarchy," Koval voiced his conviction. He made a single alteration to the prayer—replacing "victory" with "peace." That one change was sufficient for the church court to strip him of his priestly rank.
However, publicly advocating for peace also invited the specter of persecution from the Russian state. Soon after Russian forces entered Ukraine, lawmakers passed legislation enabling the prosecution of thousands under the pretext of "discrediting the Russian army." This broadly defined charge applied to any dissenting voice, whether expressed on social media or within the sacred confines of a church.
In a parallel to Putin's autocratic regime, Kirill cultivated an unyielding ecclesiastical structure demanding unwavering adherence. Andrey Desnitsky, a philology professor at Lithuania's Vilnius University, explained that refusal to echo the patriarch's stance cast doubt upon a priest's loyalty. "Loyalty is indispensable; any deviation from it results in exclusion from the church," Desnitsky, a seasoned Russian church authority, emphasized.
Initially, when the conflict ignited, most priests remained reticent, fearing retribution from both ecclesiastical and governmental authorities. Only a minuscule fraction of the Russian Orthodox Church's 40,000 clergymen—approximately 300—publicly signed a letter urging peace in Ukraine. Yet, each voice against the war holds immense significance, as Natallia Vasilevich, coordinator for the human rights group Christians Against War, contends. Such expressions puncture the veneer of unanimity that cloaks the Russian Orthodox Church.
Throughout the conflict's duration, Vasilevich's team documented over 30 Orthodox priests who encountered pressure from either religious or state authorities. However, she suspects the actual number is higher, as many priests refrain from disclosing the reprisals they face, fearing additional persecution.
The Russian Orthodox Church attributes these reprisals against dissenting priests to their alleged politicization. Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy head of the church's press service, argued that clergy who morph into "political agitators" or engage in political struggle deviate from their pastoral responsibilities and consequently face canonical restrictions.
Conversely, priests publicly endorsing the war in Ukraine remain untouched by repercussions and enjoy state support. Vasilevich observed, "The Russian regime amplifies these voices to project a louder resonance." Priests refusing to join this chorus or maintaining silence risk reassignment, temporary suspension of duties, or defrocking, which strips them of remuneration, housing, privileges, and most crucially, their congregational role.
"I never questioned the choice I made," Koval steadfastly affirmed. "With my prayer, I, my entire soul, opposed this war. I couldn't lend my support to the incursion of Russian troops into Ukraine." After the Russian Orthodox Church tribunal ruled to defrock him, Koval turned to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Despite Russia's objections, Bartholomew upheld his right to consider petitions of appeal from clergy of other Orthodox churches. In June, the Constantinople patriarchate vindicated Koval's stance and reinstated his holy rank, granting him permission to officiate in his churches.
Another priest, the Rev. Ioann Burdin, contemplated leaving the Russian Orthodox Church after speaking out against the war and being fined by a local court. His request to transfer to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was met with a ban from Kirill, who mandated a public apology. Burdin resorted to a Telegram channel to disseminate his sermons, aiming to assist perplexed Orthodox Christians grappling with the patriarch's war endorsement.
During Putin's lengthy tenure, the Russian Orthodox Church's status surged, acquiring prestige, wealth, and societal influence that transcended the post-Soviet era's decades of oppression and apathy. In turn, leaders like Patriarch Kirill championed Putin's initiatives, fervently supporting the war in Ukraine. Church clergymen routinely bestowed blessings upon troops and equipment entering battle, invoking divine favor for the campaign.
The Rev. Iakov Vorontsov, a priest in Kazakhstan, initially hoped the church would mediate the conflict's resolution. However, his calls for peace received scant backing from peers or superiors. The priest turned to social media, leveraging Facebook to voice his anti-war stance, though this drew backlash offline. He was reassigned repeatedly, prohibited from delivering sermons, and congregants were discouraged from interacting with him. Ultimately, Vorontsov suspended his service within the Russian Orthodox Church, remarking, "They wanted me to leave, and in the end, they got it."
Kirill's authority extends beyond Russia's borders, and his directives apply to overseas priests as well. In a February incident, Kirill suspended the Rev. Andrei Kordochkin, a priest in Madrid, for three months due to his anti-war position. Kirill alleged that Kordochkin had "incited hatred" among his congregation. Kordochkin maintained that the suspension aimed to deter him from further criticism. "Canon law is simply used as a mechanism of political repression," Kordochkin argued, asserting his belief in priests' responsibility to convey a Christian message that prioritizes peace.
