"The leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church has aligned itself with war crimes against Ukraine" - Steinmeier, Assembly of the World Council of Churches

The President of Germany stated this in a speech at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches.

"They (the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. - Ed.) are justifying a war of aggression against Ukraine – against their own and our own brothers and sisters in the faith. We have to speak out, also here in this room, in this Assembly, against this propaganda targeting the freedom and rights of the citizens of another country, this nationalism, which arbitrarily claims that a dictatorship’s imperial dreams of hegemony are God’s will. How many women and men and children, too, in Ukraine have become victims of this hatemongering, this hatred and this criminal violence!" - said Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"We must call it by its name, indeed we must denounce it, and last but not least as a Christian community we must express our commitment to the dignity and the freedom and the security of the people of Ukraine. I would like to take this opportunity to convey a specific and heartfelt welcome to the delegations from the churches in Ukraine – and I hope that from this gathering they will be able to take strength and support to their suffering churches and congregations back home," said the German president.

Addressing representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, who are also present at the Assembly, Steinmeier said: "I expect that this assembly will not deprive them of the truth about this brutal war and criticism of the role of the leaders of their churches... The leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church has joined the war crimes against Ukraine. This totalitarian ideology, disguised as theology, led to the complete or partial destruction of many religious objects on the territory of Ukraine - churches, mosques, synagogues, educational and administrative buildings of religious communities. No Christian who still possesses his faith, his mind and feelings, will be able to see God's will in this."