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Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Clear words towards the Russian Orthodox Church
Photo: Uli Deck / dpa
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has sharply criticized the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Your management level spread propaganda that "arbitrarily claims God's will for the imperial dreams of a dictatorship," said Steinmeier at the start of the so-called world ecumenical meeting in Karlsruhe.
The Russian Orthodox Church is thus treading a »blasphemous aberration«.
Steinmeier referred, among other things, to "sweet bombing" against civilian targets as well as war crimes and the destruction of religious sites in Ukraine.
"No Christian who still has his faith, his reason and his senses together will be able to recognize God's will in it," said the Federal President.
Putin supporter Patriarch Kirill
The eleventh plenary assembly of the World Council of Churches - a kind of world meeting of Christian churches and faith communities - began in Karlsruhe on Wednesday.
Despite the Russian attack on Ukraine, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church are taking part, which caused controversy beforehand.
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill is a vehement supporter of President Vladimir Putin and his policies.
After the Russian attack began, he repeatedly called on Russian believers to support the war and spoke of a fight against "the forces of evil" that had to be waged outside as well as inside Russia.
The influential church leader also represents conservative religious values, describing homosexuality as a sin.
Steinmeier called on the general assembly, "also on behalf of the federal government," to speak out "the truth about this brutal war" in the intended dialogue with the representatives of the Orthodox Church from Russia and to clearly name the perpetrators and their "vicarious agents".
The chairwoman of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Annette Kurschus, emphasized in her opening message to the general assembly that the »love of Christ« does not tolerate aggressive wars.
Without naming the Russian Orthodox side, she added: "If there is to be reconciliation and unity, then not without this truth." Kurschus hopes and believes that the meeting will bear "strong witness" to this.
World ecumenical meeting in Germany for the first time
According to the EKD, the world ecumenical meeting usually takes place every eight years and is being held in Germany for the first time.
Christians from around 120 countries take part in the multi-day gathering in Karlsruhe, which is co-organized by the EKD.
The program includes exchanges on numerous current topics, including climate change.
The World Ecumenical Council sees itself as a fellowship of Christian churches and communities representing 600 million people worldwide - Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Orthodox, Reformed and independent.
The Catholic Church is not a member but has observer status.
atb/AFP/dpa