Orthodox Church Patriarch Travels to the U.K.
Patriarch Kirill has long been a Putin ally. Source; Moscow Times
On October 16, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This visit marked the meeting between the heads of two of the largest—and most divided—sects of Christianity at a time of strained Anglo-Russian relations; the trip only served to highlight the vast cultural and political rift between the two nations.
Patriarch Kirill visited the United Kingdom from October 15 to 18 to commemorate the third centenary of the founding of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh in Great Britain and Ireland and the reconsecration of the Russian Orthodox cathedral at London. Peter the Great founded the diocese by fiat in 1716 after his travels throughout Europe. In a period of scarce diplomatic relations between distant nations, the establishment of an Orthodox Church in London was a means of maintaining more consistent political ties with Britain.
Instead of marking greater connection in the history of the two nations, the visit instead raised awareness of differences between them. Patriarch Kirill is a strong political ally of President Vladimir Putin of Russia. The Patriarch has lent his moral authority to many of Putin’s domestic and foreign policies. He has described Russian intervention in the Syrian conflict as “remarkably honest and honorable.”
British politicians responded vociferously at the arrival of the Patriarch due to his support of Russian airstrikes in Syria. John Woodcock, Labour MP and Secretary of the all-party Friends of Syria group, reeled at the lavish welcome given to the Patriarch by Buckingham Palace, saying that he was a close ally of a “murderous regime.”
Boris Johnson, British Foreign Secretary, called for the manifestation of British public opposition to the Russian intervention in Syria, saying, "I would certainly like to see demonstrations outside the Russian embassy.” He added that Russia risked becoming an international “pariah” if it continued down its current path and requested that those responsible for war crimes in Aleppo be tried in the International Criminal Court.
Russian officials responded swiftly to the proposals for protests with claims of “Russophobic hysteria” from the Foreign Secretary.
The Patriarch’s visit also failed to find much common ground between the two nations on social issues. The website of the Diocese of Sourozh reported on the Patriarch’s meeting with the Head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
“Patriarch Kirill drew Archbishop Justin Welby’s attention to the Russian Orthodox Church’s concern over the liberalization of the Church of England’s teaching on church order, particularly, the ordination of women as priests and bishops and on the family and morality. His Holiness Kirill expressed hope that the Church of England will oppose challenges of the modern world and seek to preserve the Gospel’s teaching.”
The Patriarch has, in the past, described the rise of gay marriage as being a possible cause of a future apocalypse. He furthered his comment by adding, “some countries approve their choice [homosexuals] in favor of sin and justify it by law.” He also attributed the secularism of the West as responsible for the rise of the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, the Anglican Church has been seen adopting more progressive positions on social issues. The legalization of same-sex marriage was adopted in England and Wales at the beginning of 2014 and in Scotland at the start of 2015, with only Northern Ireland and its socially conservative Protestant and Catholic constituents, retaining civil partnerships.
Patriarch Kirill’s visit marks a low point for Anglo-Russian relations. The trip highlighted the wide array of differences on multiple issues and, additionally, demonstrated the intransigence between both nations with regard to preventing further drift.