"The Russian Church is neither Orthodox nor Christian, because being decorated all over with crosses or being able to light a candle correctly does not make one a Christian. Christianity is not an external sign, says Fr. George Kovalenko, rector of the Open Orthodox University of St Sophia the Wisdom.
He said this in Yuri Podorozhny's show, "Motyv" (Motive), according to znaj.ua.
The priest believes that any person, including those in priestly clothing, should be evaluated according to their real worldview and actions: were Russian clergymen to be evaluated according to this principle, their actions would contradict Christianity.
"The worldview of the Russian Church and state is the Russian World, and the Russian World is an ideological construct that hides under religious clothing. Few people remember that the very construct of the Russian World was born in the womb of the Russian Church," Fr. George Kovalenko says.
As the clergyman noted, Russian Patriarch Kirill is actually a promoter of the Russian World concept: the Russian authorities liked this concept and decided to start using it.