The Roman Catholic Church has an official stance defining “just wars”. The term “just war” is an oxymoron. No war can be just because innocent people will always be killed in wars. Christians have had to struggle with the subject of war especially in the context of the Gospel in which Christ urges us to turn the other cheek. Christ who was crucified and endured suffering on the cross.
When Constantine legalized Christianity the process of the merger of Church and State began. Christian Emperors found it necessary to wage wars. Some historians have argued that Byzantium had holy wars and have cited the example of Emperor Heraclius who defeated the Persians in 626 AD and liberated the true cross while taking vengeance for the burning of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem earlier on.
Christianity was a factor in the wars of Byzantium but they were not holy. The Emperor was considered the “viceroy of God” and the people of the Empire were Christians. At no time however did the Church bless the wars, but only the Emperor and the soldiers who were Christians.
The Canon of Saint Basil prescribed a period of abstention from communion by Christian soldiers who killed during times of war. This was in recognition of the fact that enemy soldiers were people created in the image of God. Christian soldiers were not murderers but their souls needed to be cleansed and so they were required to abstain from communion for a time.
In the tenth century, acting Emperor Nikephoras Phokas waged war against the Arabs in Syria. The Emperor was fiercely religious and attempted to turn the war into a holy war and asked the Church to declare fallen soldiers to be martyrs. The Patriarch objected to the very idea of holy war and made it clear the wars were on behalf of the Empire, not God.
In the first encounter between the Emperor Alexios of Constantinople and the Knights of the First Crusade, the Greeks were appalled by the pro war fanaticism of the visiting westerners. They made clear that they rejected the very concept of holy war. The Crusaders were looked upon by the Greeks as fanatics and barbarians.
When the Orthodox Church blesses the national struggles (Greek War of Independence, Russia against the Nazis) they are not blessing war. They are blessing the people who are fighting, dying, and suffering against a foreign yoke (Turks, Nazis). The present war in Ukraine has become very troubling.
One of the things the Orthodox East could take pride in is that it was not bloodthirsty like the west. The neoconservative and neo liberal wars (Iraq, Serbia) demonstrate quite clearly that the western political mind still believes in Crusading. A millenium ago it was in the name of Christianity and today in the name of democracy.
Russia remains the bastion of Christianity in the world. But its offensive war in Ukraine is not in accordance with Orthodoxy or Byzantium of which Moscow rightfully considers itself to be the successor. Russia remains the third rome on the basis that it is the largest Orthodox country in the world.
On Ukraine however, Moscow has gone astray. Unlike the 2014 intervention, this war is an offensive one. The Russian Church has lost some credibility owing to Patriarch Kyril’s refusal to condemn the war. There are 282 Russian priests who have condemned the war and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has condemned the war.
A Ukrainian priest has called for the convening of an ecumenical council to rule on the public stances of Patriarch Kyril of Moscow. Such a council will also need to challenge Patriarch Bartholomew’s intervention in Ukraine in 2018. The Russian Patriarch may very well be in the wrong but it should be remembered that Patriarch Bartholomolew blessed the Turkish tanks in 2018 that were sent to Syria to fight the Kurds.
Both Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros of America have aligned themselves with the United States that has made war an essential part of its foreign policy. Have either the Patriarch or the Archbishop condemned the bombings of Serbia, Iraq, or Syria? Have they condemned NATO’s expansion to the Russian border?
Russia may be in the wrong for invading Ukraine but as far as NATO goes the Russians have been placed on the defensive. Politics aside, Christian morality dictates that the lives of Ukrainians come before NATO or Russia. God loves the ordinary people suffering in war and for this reason Russia must end the war.
In the end why is Russia wrong? Because Moscow is acting like a western country in starting an offensive war. Orthodox Christians do not expect much from the West. We expect much more from the great Orthodox civilization of Russia.
Orthodoxy rejects offensive wars, western hypocrisy aside.
5 replies on “Anti War The Orthodox Position”
I have to confess to being bitterly disappointed in the Orthodox Church leadership, who have aligned themselves with western secular interests in this conflict. When they could have-and should have-played a leadership role in bringing the two sides to the peace table and talking out their differences the Orthodox Church leadership has instead used it’s offices to condemn one side and fan the flames of continuing action and reaction. The Patriarch allowed Turkey-of all nations-to take the lead in trying to bring peace to two warring Orthodox nations! Why didn’t HE take the lead, instead of continually condemning Russia? The Orthodox Churches could have come out of this tragedy with increased stature and showing the love of the Lord under difficult circumstances, but they’ve failed terribly. Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in particular has badly handled the Ukraine situation for years-he needs to resign, he has lost tremendous stature for Constantinople among the Churches and is no longer respected by large parts of the Orthodox community worldwide. I wouldn’t be surprised if permanent schisms come out of this and he has to take some responsibility for that. So unnecessary.
I was going to add, the Patriarch has been behaving like a Pope. He has no mandate to do that, he lacks those powers of office. He could have used the powers he does have to bring the two sides together and work out a peaceful resolution-but hasn’t tried. This different vision of the Church leadership authority from the western Church was a reason for The Great Schism in 1054, Constantinople appears to have forgotten that.
What Patriarch Bartholomew did was wrong. Patriarch Kyril of Moscow is also wrong as well. Both of them should be working to bring peace to Ukraine. A Russian military withdrawal and an ecclesiastical withdrawal by Constantinople would be a good agreement.
Thanks for the reply, Ted. I know you’re hurting like I am over this situation.
It is tragic all the way around. Orthodox Christians killing Orthodox Christians. Russia came a long way in thirty years as a counterweight to the west. Moscow threw everything away with this insane invasion of Ukraine. Russia has devastated Ukraine and Russia will now suffer long term consequences.