The Russian Orthodox Church recalled the incompatibility of pacifism with Orthodox teaching

Pacifism is not compatible with Orthodox teaching, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) said. This is stated in the materials for the meeting of the church court, where the statements of the priest John Burdin will be considered, I got acquainted with the materials RBC. Previously, that pacifism is more of a heretical doctrine, said Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin, Deputy Chairman of the Diocesan Court of Moscow. John Burdin himself, temporarily banned from serving since March of this year, declaredthat in the theology of the Russian Orthodox Church the doctrine of a “new heresy – pacifism” appeared.

“But even the pacifism itself, with which Priest Burdin tries to hide behind accusations against him, is not compatible with the actual teaching of the Orthodox Church, in particular, set forth in “Fundamentals of the social concept”. Pacifism in different eras of church history was present in heretical doctrines – among the Gnostics, Paulicians, Bogomils, Albigenses, Tolstoyans, revealing, like other utopian ideologies, a connection with ancient chiliasm, ”says the materials for the court session. They note that the church has always blessed the soldiers to defend the country.

In May Vladislav Tsypin declaredthat “not just peacefulness, but pacifism, that is, the fundamental refusal for Christians to participate in wars, is usually an element of heretical, sectarian doctrines.”

In an administrative case on discrediting the army (part 1 of article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), Ioann Burdin was fined in March 2022. This happened after he posted a link to an anti-war petition on his parish website, and in a sermon he said that he “is not going to pray either for the defeat of the Russian army or for the victory of the Ukrainian army.” “In the theology of the Russian Church, the doctrine of a new heresy, pacifism, took shape,” wrote John Burdin in his October Telegram channel.

Maria Fedotova