Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has recently accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “heresy” over comments he made concerning the Russian army working at “the Lord’s behest.”
Williams, 75, who led the Church of England from 2002 to 2012, recently spoke with The Independent a few speech Putin gave earlier this month to Russian soldiers marking Orthodox Christmas.
Putin reportedly told troops that the invasion of Ukraine was a “holy mission” and that their presence within the Eastern European nation got here “as if on the Lord’s behest.”
“I’d actually say we’re talking about heresy,” Williams told The Independent in comments published by Sunday.
“We’re talking about something which undermines a very fundamental aspect of spiritual belief, of Christian belief, which assumes that now we have to defend God by violence.”
Williams quoted John 18:36, by which Jesus said “my kingdom shouldn’t be of this world” and that “if it were of this world, my servants would fight.”
“The concept that death in battle on your country equates to Christian martyrdom appears to be essentially the most bizarre and unjustifiable interpretation you can take,” Williams continued.
“There is something really, really disturbing concerning the systematic, comprehensive rebranding of Christianity as Russian national ideology.”
Earlier this month, in honour of Orthodox Christmas, Putin issued a press release comparing the salvation offered by Jesus Christ to military service within the Russian army.
“Today we’re celebrating an exquisite and vibrant holiday of the birth of Christ. We often confer with Christ because the Savior because He got here into the world to avoid wasting all people,” he stated, as quoted in an official statement.
“And the soldiers, Russian warriors, at all times perform this very mission as if by the command of the Lord, a mission of defending the Fatherland, defending our country and its people. People in Russia have at all times treated their warriors as those that, acting at God’s command, perform this holy mission.”
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine, claiming to support an independence movement in Ukraine’s mostly pro-Russian eastern region.
While many expected Russia to steamroll Ukraine, the Ukrainians under President Volodymyr Zelensky offered stiffer than expected resistance because the war has dragged on for nearly 4 years.
In addition to Putin, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has received criticism for his part in labelling the invasion a “holy” endeavor that resists Western “satanism.”
Williams’ comments come as negotiations between Ukraine and Russia a few possible peace treaty are ongoing, at the same time as clashes between the 2 countries proceed.
