Fr Sauca expressed his gratitude for previous correspondence with Patriarch Kirill. “The reason for coming here is to see what we can do together to build bridges of peace and reconciliation and stop the bloodshed and the danger of nuclear conflagration,” Fr Sauca said. “I think it would very helpful now to make the same statement, saying clearly to the world what you told us, here, today: stop the bloodshed, stop the killing, stop the destruction of infrastructure, look for peace and reconciliation.” This will help greatly the world and the Orthodox Church as well, Fr Sauca said to Patriarch Kirill, “and will make it clear what is your personal position to the war.” The patriarch stated that he does not think that any church or Christian can have a supporting position to wars and killings, and that churches “…are called to be peacemakers and to defend and protect life,” he said. “War cannot be holy.” But when one has to defend himself and his life or to give his life for the lives of the others, things look different, stated Patriarch Kirill. “We have so many examples in our Christian history,” he said. “Yet, as peacemakers we have to make all efforts to bring peace through dialogue and avoid any conflict or violence.” Patriarch Kirill added that the times in which we live today are very difficult—yet these difficulties do not come from the churches, “but from the political context, and this context constitutes an extreme danger today,” he said. Churches today “must not add fuel to the fire,” he added. “On the contrary, we must do everything within our power to put out the fire. In this regard, the World Council of Churches has a very important function.” WCC Communique: His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with WCC acting general secretary Photo gallery: WCC acting general secretary visits Moscow Statement of the WCC 11th Assembly: War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region |
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