ROC head on preaching Kingdom of God, not patriotism: "Never heard that"
Patriarch Kirill responded to a question about whether a priest should lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven.
On February 11, 2025, during a diocesan assembly of the Moscow Diocese, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, responded to a question posed by Father Alexei Shliapin from Mozhaysk.
Father Alexei expressed his disagreement with the patriotic focus of the ROC, stating: "A priest should lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven, rather than engage in patriotism."
In response, Patriarch Kirill remarked: "Well, this is something! First time I've heard that! Father, you’re not from Western Ukraine by any chance?" He then added: "Go sit down and seriously think about what nonsense you’ve just blurted out."
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Patriarch Kirill called on Russians to be baptized for the sake of Russia’s invincibility.
