The head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, announced that his country has submitted a proposal to the governing bodies of the EU to add the head of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP), Kirill Gundyaev, to the sanctions lists of this organization. The reason for this step is Gundyaev’s support, as well as that of the ROC MP led by him, for the war against Ukraine.
«This person, in my opinion, is not engaged in pastoral care, but rather destroys souls, if we try to find a spiritual term to describe his statements,» Landsbergis said.
In response, Vladimir Legoyda, head of the External Relations Department of the ROC parliament, said that «imposing sanctions on religious leaders is nonsense, a rejection of common sense,» and called the initiative «anti-diplomacy.
In reality, however, it is nonsense to present the matter as if the church in Russia is separate from the state, and religion in the ROC MP is separate from politics. All this has long since been merged, and it was precisely Gundyaev who was one of the ideologists of this «churchization of the state» and thus of state control over the church. It is his ideas and those of his circle about the «Russian world» that have become the state ideology, giving completeness and uncompromising character to the Kremlin’s policy in many directions, including the Ukrainian one. And Kirill and other leaders of his church unambiguously supported the ongoing war and provided ideological support for it.
Therefore, sanctions against Gundyaev and other prominent members of the ROC are not only fully justified, but likely to be imposed. Simply because the majority of similar proposals for sanctions are currently being accepted.
And this will set a precedent that will undoubtedly be followed by sanctions against other religious organizations and leaders sympathetic to Kremlin policies, including the «Muslims of the Moscow Patriarchate». Therefore, all those who advocated the «jihad against Ukraine,» signed fatwas on this issue, and participated in it, including under the guise of journalism, charity, and peacekeeping activities, are likely to follow Gundyaev.
Those who want to get off this train should do so more quickly and decisively. And if someone was forced to sign something or go somewhere, he should find a way to go to a safe place and declare it openly, condemning what he was forced to do. Fooling around and sitting on two chairs will no longer work — by participating in Kremlin politics under any pretext after February 24, 2022, you will burn your bridges.