ROC calls on Prigozhin not to commit the sin of betrayal and coup

Yevgeny Prigozhin organized a coup in the Russian Federation. Photo: RBC
On June 24, 2023, when the Wagner PMC launched an offensive on Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church called on its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to stop, reports Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol, the head of the Synodal Department for Interaction with the Armed Forces, on the Department's Telegram channel.
He reminded Prigozhin that the ROC chaplains had been with the Wagner group in Ukraine "from the very beginning." "Therefore, I have every right, on behalf of the military clergy and myself, to say: Stop!" the Metropolitan stated.
He told Prigozhin that many sins can be forgiven, but the sins of betrayal, treachery, and coup "sometimes cannot be forgiven".
As reported, Patriarch Kirill urged those who took up arms against their brethren to "reconsider" their actions.
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