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RUSSIA-UKRAINE: Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox priests against the war

Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox priests against the war

In many Ukrainian churches of the Moscow Patriarchate, the name of Patriarch Kirill was not mentioned during Sunday liturgies. The Moscow Orthodox hierarchy allegedly did not approve of the invasion. From the conflict a possible push for the reunion of all the Churches of Ukraine.

by Vladimir Rozanskij

AsiaNews (28.02.2022) – https://bit.ly/36ZP0Pz – The Russian war against Ukraine is putting a severe strain on the Orthodox Christian faith, to which both peoples in the conflict belong. In many Ukrainian Orthodox Churches belonging to the patriarchate of Moscow, the name of Patriarch Kirill was not recalled during Sunday liturgies, causing many faithful to turn away from the Russian Church.

The Metropolitan of the autocephalous Church Epifanyj (Dumenko) appealed to Kirill to intercede with President Putin to stop the war. The Patriarch of Moscow, in turn, issued an appeal for “the Lord to protect Russian land”, specifying that he was referring to “Kievan Rus’, from which Russia, Ukraine and Belarus originated”.

The website Meduza.ru has gathered the testimony of several priests divided on the military operations, but united in their ecclesial belonging. Proto-priest Nikolai Bandurin is parish priest in the church in the village of Andreevo-Melentevo in the Rostov region, bordering the Donbass, 30 kilometres from the most disputed border. In his opinion, “it was time for some order in Ukraine, President Putin is right… God is with us, and He loves everyone, we must pray and hope that everything will go well”.

Protoierej Aleksej Uminskij, on the other hand, is the parish priest of the Holy Trinity Church in Moscow’s Khokhly (“Ukrainians'”) district, and says he cannot support his country’s military actions. “I pray for peace, I pray that all this ends as soon as possible, and that as few people as possible suffer from it”.

Fr. Aleksej quotes the words of Moscow Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) and the Russian Metropolitan of Kiev Onufryj (Berezovskij), who called the Russian invasion a “fratricidal war… our hierarchy has not approved this military action at all, it is a tragedy without justification or explanation”. Uminsky notes with regret that ‘there is a strong division among the people with respect to the war, it is a war among us, even among those who come to church and take communion at the one chalice’.

The Orthodox Church in Russia is very disoriented, while in Ukraine the people are rallying around their pastors in the face of aggression. Protoierej Aleksej Pelevin, who directs the charitable sector of the eparchy of Kaluga, in southern Russia, recalls the words of the Gospel: “There is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s friends”.

He maintains that each Russian soldier fulfils this commandment, and the Church “has always blessed those who put themselves at the service of the defence of their homeland: we pray for all our soldiers, as the liturgical litanies also prescribe, in Ukraine as in Syria and throughout the world”. Fr Aleksej tries to welcome refugees from Donbass, as Patriarch Kirill has recommended.

Fr. Aleksandr Satomsky, on the other hand, looks after the Church of the Epiphany in Yaroslavl, central Russia, and does not intend to expound his thoughts on the ongoing war, “because it could divide people, and division is the work of the devil, but I know that for God there are no useless people, and Jesus went up on the cross for everyone, without looking at who is right and who is wrong…. we pray that the light of reason triumphs!”.

The Metropolitan of Belgorod, Ioann (Popov), who leads his Church in a region bordering Ukraine, says that “when there is a war, priests should only pray for peace. We do not understand what happens, and in these cases we must pray that God enlightens our minds, that love wins and peace is restored… there will never be love as long as we continue to destroy one another”.

The Metropolitan recalled that the Orthodox liturgy prays for “the multiplication of love” and quoted St Nicholas of Serbia, who said that “when love decreases in people, they feel the need to restore justice, but often they no longer know what it is”.

An important Russian theologian and historian is the protoierej Georgij Mitrofanov, according to whom “priests today must help people not to lose their faith journey, regardless of whether they are in a war or peace zone, because in these circumstances it is easy to lose the Christian meaning of life”.

Even those who are engaged in war, like the soldiers, Fr. Georgij recalls, “must not forget to be Christians, trying not to shed the blood of the enemy, not to become instruments of diabolical hatred”. All wars are fratricidal, because all men are brothers: “The Cossacks who returned from the war were forbidden to set foot in church for a year, because they were covered in shame”.

Archbishop Evstratij (Zorja) represents the autocephalous Ukrainian Church, and accuses Putin of “Jesuit thinking”, which in the Russian world is synonymous with hypocrisy: because there are groups of exalted nationalists in Ukraine, then the whole country must be subjected to the “superior force”, but Ukrainians are good people of faith, they do not want to participate in the restoration of “the empire of evil” and “never before have they needed the Church, they seek consolation and spiritual support, even just a word of hope, to be able to believe in the victory of truth”. Evstratij’s hope is that in this task all the Churches of Ukraine can finally be united, driven by mercy towards the suffering people.

HRWF Research Notes

Statement of the Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies (28.02.2022)

Patriarch Kirill urges to pray for peace in “Russian Lands” (28.02.2022)

Head of Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia calls for “doubling prayers” for peace in Ukraine (28.02.2022)

Pope speaks with Ukrainian President (27.02.2022)

Does the Russian Orthodox Church want peace? (26.02.2022)

Patriarch Kirill calls on conflict parties in Ukraine to avoid civilian casualties (25.02.2022)

The Jewish community will strengthen charity during the conflict (25.02.2022)

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Putin ‘is destroying the basic principles of peace’ (24.02.2022)

Primate of the UOC MP – Putin: “War with Ukraine is a repetition of Cain’s sin” (24.02.2022)

How Putin is exploiting Orthodox rivalries in Ukraine (23.02.2022)

23 February: Patriarch Kirill wished Putin ‘peace of mind’ on Defender of the Fatherland Day (23.02.2022)

The head of the Assembly of Muslims called Russia’s recognition of the Donbas’ independence justified (23.02.2022)

The head of the canonical UOC supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity (19.02.2022)

Further reading about FORB in Russia on HRWF website

PAKISTAN: US Commission calls for release of Christian accused of blasphemy

US Commission calls for release of Christian accused of blasphemy

Nadeem Samson has been in prison since 2017. A new hearing on his possible release is scheduled for tomorrow. The Christian’s accusers fabricated a fake Facebook profile to bring charges against him.

By Shafique Khokhar

AsiaNews (13.12.2021) – https://bit.ly/3lXo47G – Tomorrow Pakistan’s Supreme Court could decide to release on bail Christian Nadeem Samson, a herbalist accused of blasphemy in 2017 and in prison since then. Anurima Bhargava, of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (Uscirf), called on the Pakistani government to grant his unconditional release.

Sanson was unjustly accused of blasphemy and then imprisoned after a in dispute over the payment of a rental deposit: according to the agreements, Nadeem would have paid the owner of the house, Sakhawat Dogar, 4 thousand dollars (over 3,500 euros) to stay a year and a half in a house in the Match Factory area of Shahdara, near Lahore. When the Christian gave notice in 2017 and asked for the money back, Dogar refused to return the bail as agreed and accused Sanson of blasphemy.

To make the charges credible, the Muslim contacted Nadeem’s cousin, Abdul Huq, who works as a police informant and who had managed to stage a fake kidnapping case to get Samson jailed a first time 18 years ago.

Abdul Huq Huq created a fake Facebook account using his cousin’s phone number retrieved from his herbalist’s website. At that point, posing as Nadeem, Abdul Huq wrote a series of messages insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Police later raided Nadeem’s home, handcuffed him, and linked the fake Facebook account to his cell phone and laptop. They then tortured tortured him to make him confess that he wrote the blasphemous messages on social media. A few days later, in cahoots with the police, Sakhawat Dogar and a group of local Muslims burned Nadeem’s belongings, including his rental agreement documents and proof of payment.

The Christian was jailed on November 29, 2017, four days after an initial information report was filed against him. He was repeatedly beaten and tortured during the time frame, to the point that he was in critical condition when he entered prison.

In anticipation of the Christmas season, Nadeem’s family members hope that by tomorrow’s hearing he will be released. For fear of retaliation and threats, Christian relatives are hiding or have moved to other countries.

HRWF Database of 28 Christian behind bars in Pakistan on alleged blasphemy charges. See details here on HRWF website

Muhammad ASGHAR (Pretrial detention)

Noman ASGHAR (Death penalty)

Malik ASHRAF (Death penalty)

Amoon AYUB (Death penalty)

Qaisar AYUB (Death penalty)

Zafar BHATTI (Life in prison)

Hajaj BIN (6 years)

Humayun FAISAL (Pretrial detention)

Pastor Aftab GILL (6 years and 6 months)

Malik MOHAMMAD FAROOQ (Life in prison)

Soofi ISHAQ (Death sentence)

Nadeem JAMES (Death penalty)

Abdul KAREEM (Life in prison)

Anwar KENNETH (Death sentence)

Shafeeq LATIF (Death penalty)

Anwar MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Imran MASIH (Life in prison)

Ishfaq MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Sohail MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Patras MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Sajjad MASIH (Death penalty)

Shahbaz MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Shehzad MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Stephen MASIH (Pretrial detention)

Yaqoob Bashir MASIH (Death penalty)

Sunny MUSHTAQ (Pretrial detention)

Asif PERVAIZ (Pretrial detention)

Nadeem SAMSON (Pretrial detention)

Photo : asianews.it

Further reading about FORB in Pakistan on HRWF website

BANGLADESH: Hindus, Buddhists and Christians ‘No to Islam as state religion’

Every year the anniversary of the constitutional amendment recognising Islam as state religion is marked as a ‘black day’. “If this state of affairs continues, Islamic extremism and communalism will end up creating serious problems”, says the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.

By Sumon Corraya

Asia News (10.06.2021) – https://bit.ly/2TTZB7T – In Bangladesh, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian religious leaders yesterday marked “Black Day” together. On 9 June 1988, Islam became state religion following the adoption of the eighth amendment to the constitution.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) has promoted the initiative on June 9 each year. This year, in a virtual meeting due to the pandemic, representatives of the largest organisation defending the rights of religious minorities renewed its call for the amendment to be scrapped.

“With the amendment, the seed of sectarian politics were planted,” said BHBCUC president Nirmol Rozario, a Catholic, speaking to AsiaNews. “In a country where Hindus, Buddhists and Christians also live, a single religion cannot be the state religion. We object to it.”

Constitutionally, “Bangladesh is a secular country, but its state religion is Islam. This is a clear contradiction,” Rozario explained. “If this state of affairs continues, Islamic extremism and communalism will end up creating serious problems.”

At the meeting, Sultana Kamal, a prominent lawyer and human rights advocate, noted that secularism was asserted at the birth of Bangladesh in 1971 in a bloody war. Hence, she wonders why the current prime minister* agrees with such discrimination. “Usually,” she noted, “constitutions are changed to improve them, but in our country in 1988 it was done to favour only one religious group.”

In light of the present situation, BHBCUC general secretary Rana Dasgupta called for the establishment of a security commission for minority communities. “Religious minorities are often persecuted by the majority group. For our security, we strongly demand a minority ministry and a commission for religious communities.”

* The current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, is the daughter of the Father of the Nation Mujibur Rahman.

Photo : AsiaNews.it

Further reading about FORB in Bangladesh on HRWF website

CHINA: Since 2014 Beijing has imprisoned at least 630 imams in Xinjiang

According to the Uyghur Human Rights Project, 18 Muslim clerics have died in prison or immediately after their release. Many have not been heard from for some time. Little official documentation exists about people sent to concentration camps. Uyghurs and members of other Muslim groups have been imprisoned just for praying.

AsiaNews (13.05.2021) – https://bit.ly/2QmM5Ze – Since 2014, Chinese authorities have imprisoned or detained at least 630 imams and other Muslim clerics in Xinjiang, this according to the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) based on research it shared with the BBC. In all, 18 clerics have died in detention or shortly after their release.

The study looked at the fate of 1,046 imams, mostly ethnic Uyghurs, based on official papers, testimonies by relatives, public and private databases, and media reports.

The actual numbers are probably much higher since Chinese authorities do not report most cases involving incarceration in concentration camps, which often takes place without formal charges.

Jailed clerics are usually accused of “propagating extremism,” “inciting separatism” or “gathering crowds to disrupt the social order.” In reality, according to their relatives, they are targeted simply for praying, organising prayer groups, translating religious texts, i.e. performing their normal duties as imams.

Western countries, the United Nations Human Rights Agency, humanitarian organisations and academics have long accused China of repression against Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim minority groups living in the autonomous Xinjiang region.

According to expert data, confirmed by the United Nations, Chinese authorities hold or have held more than a million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz people in Xinjiang internment and labour camps, often forced to take part in the cotton harvest.

Some independent researchers also claim that the Chinese government is conducting a local campaign of forced sterilisations to control the growth of the Muslim population.

Beijing has rejected the accusation of genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities, calling it the “lie of the century.” Chinese leaders say that the camps in the autonomous region are not concentration camps, but vocational centres implementing projects to reduce poverty, as well as fight terrorism and separatism.

The UHRP study shows that all 1,046 imams they were able to track down were detained at one point or another. In 630 cases, court documents and direct testimonies could be cross-referenced.

Of these, at least 304 clerics were reportedly sent to prison rather than to the network of “re-education” camps. About 96 per cent were sentenced to at least five years whilst 26 per cent got 20 years or more, including 14 life sentences.

The families of prisoners often have no news of where they are being held. This is the case, for example, of Abidin Ayup, a prominent scholar and imam from the city of Atush who was taken into custody in 2017.

Ayup’s family believes he is in a hospital detention facility. His niece Maryam Muhammad, who now lives in the United States, said that about 60 members of her extended family have been arrested, including her uncle’s eight children.

Photo : AsiaNews.it

EGYPT: ISIS executes a Coptic Christian in North Sinai

Nabil Habashi Khadim, 62, was an esteemed merchant and philanthropist. He was kidnapped on 8 November last and killed with a Kalashnikov shot to the head. His murder was posted online by the jihadist movement who accused him of having contributed to the construction of the only Christian place of worship in Bir Al-Abd.

AsiaNews (19.04.2021) – https://bit.ly/3n1IATG – The Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis) has executed an Egyptian Orthodox Coptic Christian, killing him with a bullet to the head in an execution filmed and posted online yesterday on the jihadist group social channels and shared by numerous users and platforms.

The victim, already considered a “new martyr” by the country’s Orthodox, is an esteemed intellectual and businessman: 62 year-old Nabil Habashi Khadim who was kidnapped on November 8 in the city of Bir Al-Abd, in northern Sinai. In the video he is seen being shot in the head with a Kalashnikov while kneeling on the ground.

Local sources report that the man had contributed to the construction of the only Christian place of worship in the city, the church of the Madonna dell’Anba Karras (Our Lady). This is also one of the reasons that led the jihadist commando to kidnap him.

In the video, one of the executioners belonging to the local Daesh cell (Arabic acronym for IS) explicitly accuses the man of having contributed, even financially, to the construction of the church just before pulling the trigger and executing him. The jihadist group also accuses the Church of “collaboration” with the Egyptian army, police and secret services.

Still others link the timing of the killing to the upcoming Easter holidays, which fall on May 2 for the Coptic Orthodox.

Witnesses say that Nabil Habashi Khadim, the latest in a “long line of North Sinai martyrs” was an esteemed jeweller from the city of Bir Al-Abd. His family is considered to be among the oldest in the Coptic community in the area, very active in the gold trade as well as owning a clothing store and a cell phone resale business.

On 8 November a group of men, armed but in civilian clothes, kidnapped him on the street in front of his house and fled undisturbed. In all these months the searches of the police and the appeals of the family for his release have been in vain.

His death caused grief and emotion in the Egyptian Coptic community, whose leader Pope Tawadros II issued a stark condemnation and asked for prayers for the man “kidnapped by Takfiri elements in North Sinai five months ago and subsequently martyred”.

The Church, continues the note, “weeps for a son and a faithful servant” who is now in the heavenly glory of Christ for having “testified to his faith even to the sacrifice of blood”. The declaration concludes by confirming the support of the Coptic Orthodox community “for the efforts of the Egyptian state” to counter “these hateful acts of terrorism” and “to preserve our dear national unity” for a “future of peace and prosperity”.

Islamic extremist groups have been fighting for years in northern Sinai, which intensified following the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and the rise of the Islamic State in the region the following year. Several Christians have also been targeted, killed in attacks against individuals and groups of faithful.

In February 2018, the Egyptian security forces, the army and the police launched a massive campaign against armed groups and jihadists, with particular attention to the North Sinai area.

In just over two years, more than 840 terror suspects and over 60 soldiers have been killed.

Photo : AsiaNews.it

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