Russians participating in the war against Ukraine should remember the eternal life guaranteed to them if they die on the battlefield.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow wrote about this in his new book “For Holy Rus: Patriotism and Faith,” Nasha Niva reports.
“This is eternal life - and you are doing a feat, giving your physical life, but remember: you shall not perish but have eternal life,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, referring to the Gospel of John (John 17: 3).
He called for the Church to be “mobilized” together with the military and political forces of Russia, and for Russians to pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
At the same time, the Patriarch called Russia a peace-loving country, emphasizing that the Russian people do not seek to start wars with other countries. However, according to him, humanity is unable to live without wars.
“Though such is the sinful nature of man, we can and must minimize the humanitarian damage from military actions if they have begun,” the Patriarch emphasized.
In the course of military operations, according to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is necessary to eliminate “devilish thoughts” in the minds of people who do not seek “the spiritual unity of Holy Rus.”
At the same time, the patriarch emphasized that Russia does not accept the spiritual values of those who “claim world power” and is becoming an “island of freedom” from “demonic power.” He also defined the concept of the “Russian world” as a “community of shrines” of people of different ethnicities, religions, and cultural traditions. In addition, the patriarch quoted Putin as saying that “the Russian world is all the generations of our ancestors and the descendants who will live after us.”