ROC patriarch: Russia holds humanity back from collapse and victory of evil

Patriarch Kirill in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Photo: Patriarchate’s website

On February 15, 2025, Patriarch Kirill of the ROC stated during a sermon at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour that the Russian Federation plays the role of a “restrainer,” saving humanity from the triumph of evil. The liturgy and sermon were broadcast by the Spas channel.

Noting the large number of people in the cathedral, the head of the ROC said, “Today, of course, our Church is undoubtedly growing from strength to strength.” At the same time, he warned that “this growth is not welcomed by many forces in the modern world.”

Patriarch Kirill stated that the ROC “cannot hope that its path will always be easy, peaceful, or even pleasant in any sense.” He reminded that “there have been challenges in the past, and there may be challenges in the future.”

Addressing young people, the Patriarch emphasized that “if our church life is strengthened, [...] then our country, which already stands on the path of an alternative civilizational development – as I refer to it in relation to the Western world – will become even stronger and an even more attractive example for the whole world.”

According to the head of the ROC, Russia “will, in a certain sense, maintain its mission as the Katechon.”

“This is a word from the Apocalypse, referring to the ‘restrainer’ (most likely, the Patriarch was referring to the Apostle Paul’s quote from the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians: ‘For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way’). If this happens, then our country will be the restrainer – preventing the collapse of the human race and the triumph of evil on a global scale,” said Patriarch Kirill.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that by early 2025, nearly 600 Christian churches in Ukraine had been damaged or completely destroyed due to the Russian invasion.

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