The German bishops’ conference has called on the Moscow Patriarch to take a clear stand against Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.
He very much hoped for a “clear statement opposing Russia’s military aggression in the Ukraine”, Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg, who heads the conference’s ecumenism commission, emphasised in Bonn on 4 March.
Feige sharply condemned the violence and destruction Russian armies were causing in Ukraine. He hoped that the war would soon be over and the bloodshed would stop, he said. “The faithful of all denominations and religions in the Ukraine are suffering in this war and it is the Moscow Patriarchate’s responsibility to act for all of them.”
The German bishops also condemned any justification of Russia’s aggressive war. “There must be no open or indirect support or legitimisation of the Russian war on the part of religious protagonists,” Feige declared. At the beginning of the week, Moscow Patriarch Kirill had called Russia’s opponents “the forces of evil”.
The head of the Justice and Peace Commission in Germany, Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz, criticised the “close relationship” between the Russian Orthodox Church and the political powers in Russia. It was fundamentally problematic “to consolidate political power with theological motives”. War and violence against others could never be theologically justified, he emphasised on 4 March on German radio.
“Behind the scenes, Germany must do everything it can to de-escalate the conflict but it must also make quite clear that it supports the Ukrainian people and the government has now done that by sending arms”, the German military bishop, Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen told the Bild Zeitung.
Meanwhile Catholic Bishops in Africa are remaining silent on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as few governments in the continent issue condemnation of the conflict.
The Tablet reached the Catholic Church in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and Kenya. Sudan said they would rather not comment for the sake of the Church. On 23 February top Sudanese general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo flew to Russia to meet the foreign minister and defence officials.
Kenyan officials said there would be no comments or statements from the bishops. giving no reasons. Similarly, the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) said it would not issue comments on the matter.
By the time of going to press, the church in DRC and CAR had not responded to a request for comment. Russia has a known presence in CAR, while some reports indicate it has been trying to increase its presence in DRC.
The strongest voices against the Russian invasion are coming from the Church in South Africa. While the country abstained from the vote on the UN General Assembly motion to reprimand Russia, Jesuits and the Anglicans condemned the Russian invasion.
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