In his own country he is considered untouchable: Patriarch Kirill I, Putin's loyal companion.
But in Great Britain, the extremely rich churchman ended up on the sanctions list – what the EU had failed to do because of Hungary's blockade, the British are now implementing.
"A symbolic act," says the Russia expert and former SPIEGEL colleague Christian Neef, but sanctions could trigger interesting reactions among the Russian population: "Certainly, many people who say the West is crazy can be driven into a corner become, he no longer considers anything.
But I think for many it would be questionable and they would think about what role Kirill really plays in this state system.«
Neef talks about Kirill's role in the state, his close connection to Putin, his KGB past and his relationship to worldly mammon in the current episode of the podcast "Eight Billion".
Neef also recalls meeting Kirill shortly before his appointment as head of the Russian Orthodox Church: 'He was a man you could really talk to for hours.
Despite all the differences, we had a very pleasant impression of him at the time«.
Today the cleric acts as mouthpiece and chief propagandist for Putin's war of aggression and does not shy away from blessing rockets with the name "Satan".
Times are changing.
more on the subject
Patriarch Cyril I: Putin's Hate PreacherBy Frank Hornig and Walter Mayr, Rome and Vienna
Ukraine: Only God can help nowBy Christian Esch
Russian Orthodox Church: Putin, the Patriarch and the Forces of EvilBy Annette Langer
Neef reported for decades as a correspondent from Moscow and today follows current developments in the country as an author.
With the close connection between the church and those in power, you have to keep a broad historical background in mind, says Neef: »The church was really the unifying factor for 200 years, it held the people together.
It was then that the famous Russian popular piety arose.
And this has strengthened the power of the church from century to century.« The myth of holy Great Russia still applies to the pious in the country.
And yet there is also an element of resistance within the Orthodox Church.
Some theologians recently signed an appeal against the church's warmongering.
In this they identify a religious fundamentalism that puts the nation above the church and has a totalitarian character.
This is a novelty for Neef:
“I've never heard it so clearly in this church because they're always very, very careful.
It's something that should influence the Moscow Patriarchate and will certainly be at least noticed or noted by Putin.«
How important is it for Putin to have the church sanction his war?
What is the ominous alliance between the Kremlin and the Church?
Christian Neef explains this in the current podcast episode.
Listen to the current episode here:
