The long-suffering Orthodox Church in Russia is the parent of my own American body, which, I’m glad to say, is not now under any bishop outside our own country.
Metropolitan Onuphry, head of the Church in Ukraine, has boldly spoken out against the Russian invasion, likening the fratricidal attack to Cain’s murder of his brother.
I’ve been profoundly disappointed in Patriarch Kirill of the Moscow Patriarchate, who did much worse than keep silent and, in effect, blamed foreign powers for the whole thing. Shameful.
I’d note that the Moscow Patriarchate has had to thread the needle carefully for centuries in order to function under various hostile regimes, and I sympathize, but it’s hard to see how he couldn’t have done much better even under his constrained circumstances.
In Ukraine, many of the parishes technically under Moscow have stopped commemorating Kirill in their services (doesn’t sound like much, but within the Orthodox church it’s a big deal, take my word for it). This has spread to parishes in Europe and America, some of which are also under Moscow.
Most impressively of all, a group of more than 100 clergy in Russia have published a letter condemning the invasion. I expect that they’re the visible tip of a big iceberg. This will most likely be the end of their careers, if not their freedom or lives.
In the US, there have been various bigoted attacks on things perceived to be Russian, and I hope they won’t extend to the Orthodox faithful, among whom I count myself. But I remember the courage of clergy and faithful around the world who are standing up to this horror, and I’m humbled.