Latest news with #Yevstratiy
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reporter's Notebook: Ukrainian spiritual leader says Russian Orthodox Church extension of Kremlin
As President Donald Trump's administration works toward a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are warning that Vladimir Putin's Russia believes it's actually fighting a "holy war" against the West. A delegation from the OCU was in the United States recently for the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. The group was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, leader of Kyiv and all of Ukraine. His translator spoke to Fox News about the spiritual war raging between Russia and Ukraine, which has played a big role in why the battle began and continues to escalate. Head Of Eastern Orthodoxy Condemns Putin, Russian Invasion Of Ukraine His eminence Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the deputy head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's external church relations, says of Russia, "From the point of religious view, this is a liberation of Ukrainians from [the] Godless West, from the evil. And Russia brings to Ukraine the light and truth." Yevstratiy, and other church watchers like Catholic intellectual George Weigel, have accused the Russian Orthodox Church of being nothing more than an arm of the Kremlin, dressed in religious vestments but doing Putin's bidding. Read On The Fox News App Writing in the magazine First Things, Weigel noted "… Ukraine mounted and sustained a fierce resistance that denied Russia the quick victory Putin anticipated in February 2022, Russian justifications for the war began to take on a new coloration: The war was now a crusade in defense of Christian civilization." On Lighthouse Faith podcast, Yevstratiy recalled how at the start of the war, Moscow's Patriarch Kirill sermonized to Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine that if they die in battle they would immediately go to paradise… all sins forgiven. Even to an outsider looking at the complexity of Orthodox Christianity, that sounds more like 'Political Jihad' than the Gospel. In 2019, Ukraine's Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church by the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). It caused an uproar in Moscow. Kirill and Putin refused to recognize the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew. 'Putin's Confessor' Named Bishop Of Annexed Ukrainian Territory Yevstratiy also revealed a scarier version of the war in Ukraine. He says Putin's ultimate goal is more than the reunification of the Soviet Union, or the defense of Christian civilization. It's actually more apocalyptic. He's focused on ushering in the third and final Rome.... in Moscow, which means, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike... as heretics and pagans. Describing the inner workings of the Orthodox churches may seem a little like 'inside baseball'. But these are the oldest churches of Christianity. They emerged from the five ancient churches led by the apostles who knew Jesus personally. The apostle Andrew went to the east in Constantinople; Mark to Alexandria (Egypt); Peter to Antioch (Rome); James to Jerusalem, and Barnabas to Cyprus. From these men, along with the itinerant Apostle Paul, Christianity spread throughout the globe. So, this conflict between Russia and Ukraine has deep spiritual roots. And Putin knows it. Yestratiy and Epiphany were present at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. and heard President Trump declare his desire to be a peacemaker. Vestratiy said, "We pray and we ask God Almighty to bless this very good and Christian desire." Adding, "May God bless Ukraine. May God bless America." The full interview is on Lauren Green's Lighthouse Faith podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and article source: Reporter's Notebook: Ukrainian spiritual leader says Russian Orthodox Church extension of Kremlin
Fox News
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Reporter's Notebook: Ukrainian spiritual leader says Russian Orthodox Church extension of Kremlin
As President Donald Trump's administration works toward a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are warning that Vladimir Putin's Russia believes it's actually fighting a "holy war" against the West. A delegation from the OCU was in the United States recently for the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. The group was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, leader of Kyiv and all of Ukraine. His translator spoke to Fox News about the spiritual war raging between Russia and Ukraine, which has played a big role in why the battle began and continues to escalate. His eminence Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the deputy head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's external church relations, says of Russia, "From the point of religious view, this is a liberation of Ukrainians from [the] Godless West, from the evil. And Russia brings to Ukraine the light and truth." Yevstratiy, and other church watchers like Catholic intellectual George Weigel, have accused the Russian Orthodox Church of being nothing more than an arm of the Kremlin, dressed in religious vestments but doing Putin's bidding. Writing in the magazine First Things, Weigel noted "… Ukraine mounted and sustained a fierce resistance that denied Russia the quick victory Putin anticipated in February 2022, Russian justifications for the war began to take on a new coloration: The war was now a crusade in defense of Christian civilization." On Lighthouse Faith podcast, Yevstratiy recalled how at the start of the war, Moscow's Patriarch Kirill sermonized to Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine that if they die in battle they would immediately go to paradise… all sins forgiven. Even to an outsider looking at the complexity of Orthodox Christianity, that sounds more like 'Political Jihad' than the Gospel. In 2019, Ukraine's Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church by the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). It caused an uproar in Moscow. Kirill and Putin refused to recognize the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew. Yevstratiy also revealed a scarier version of the war in Ukraine. He says Putin's ultimate goal is more than the reunification of the Soviet Union, or the defense of Christian civilization. It's actually more apocalyptic. He's focused on ushering in the third and final Rome.... in Moscow, which means, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike... as heretics and pagans. Describing the inner workings of the Orthodox churches may seem a little like 'inside baseball'. But these are the oldest churches of Christianity. They emerged from the five ancient churches led by the apostles who knew Jesus personally. The apostle Andrew went to the east in Constantinople; Mark to Alexandria (Egypt); Peter to Antioch (Rome); James to Jerusalem, and Barnabas to Cyprus. From these men, along with the itinerant Apostle Paul, Christianity spread throughout the globe. So, this conflict between Russia and Ukraine has deep spiritual roots. And Putin knows it. Yestratiy and Epiphany were present at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. and heard President Trump declare his desire to be a peacemaker. Vestratiy said, "We pray and we ask God Almighty to bless this very good and Christian desire." Adding, "May God bless Ukraine. May God bless America." The full interview is on Lauren Green's Lighthouse Faith podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and here.
Fox News
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Metropolitan Yevstratiy of Ukraine's Orthodox Church: Russian Orthodox Church Extension of Kremlin, It's 'Holy War' Against the West
Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the Deputy Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's External Church Relations, accuses the Russian Orthodox Church of being nothing more than an arm of the Kremlin, doing the bidding of President Vladimir Putin, the proverbial 'wolf in sheep's clothing'. In this case, religious vestments, and telling Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine that if they die in battle, they will immediately go to paradise, all sins forgiven. In 2019, Ukraine's Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. It caused an uproar in Moscow. Kirill and Putin refused to recognize the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) that authorized Ukraine's identity as an Autocephalous Church. That Russia is engaged in a Holy War is not in question. But it's Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, says Yevstratiy, that claims the Russian aggression against Ukraine is for the 'Liberation of Ukrainians from Godless West… From the evil.' And to, 'bring to Ukraine the light and truth.' On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Metropolitan Yevstratiy also reveals a scarier version of the war in Ukraine; that Putin and Kirill want to make Moscow the third and final Rome, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike as heretics and pagans. As President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth look for diplomatic solutions to the war's end, Yevstratiy and His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, the leader of the OCU, are faithful that God Himself will bring an end to the battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
