Logo
June 15, 2023

ROC: Pacifism is Heresy

ROC: Pacifism is Heresy
John Burdin, former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. NEXTA, Twitter.

A Russian Orthodox priest who is noted for his defiance to authority and standing against Russia's War on Ukraine, posted a call for peace and was condemned by the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 11, Mediazona reported that a church court file on the case said that pacifism was "incompatible" with Orthodox teachings.

In February 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, John Burdin, a priest in the Kostroma diocese, posted a statement on his church's website condemning the war in Ukraine:

"We, Christians, don't dare stand to the side when a brother kills another, [when] a Christian kills another. We cannot close our eyes, shamefaced, and call what is black white, what is good evil (...)."

A month later, Burdin gave an anti-war sermon at his local church, for which he was fined. Burdin left his parish shortly afterward, yet continued to criticize the church on Telegram. On March 19, he was banned from the priesthood. In church court documents, arguments against the priest said that pacifism was "heretical."1
Burdin's primary charge revolves around the violation of ancient canonical rules, including the Apostolic Canons that penalize those who insult one's tsar or superiors. The court argues that Burdin's sermon in March 2022, where he claimed that Christians cannot remain indifferent when one Christian kills another, discredits the military.

President Vladimir Putin has relied on his alliance with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to justify invading Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill has called the war "metaphysical" and claimed that dying in the battle could liberate one's sins. Most priests are aligned with the Kremlin, and those who don't face persecution. The FSB interrogated priest Maxim Nagibin after he delivered an anti-war Easter sermon.

Other faiths have also been persecuted. The Supreme Lama of Kalmykia, Erdne Ombadykow, was declared a foreign agent and fled to Mongolia. Pinchas Goldschmidt, the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, is also in exile.

The Russian Orthodox Church has argued that pacifism has historically been associated with heretical doctrines in the past. Indeed, noted author and Christian pacifist (who was himself excommunicated from the ROC) Lev Tolstoy wrote, in  "Christianity and Patriotism" (1895), "In all history, there is no war which was not hatched by a Government independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful."

Tags: censorshipwar in ukrainedissentorthodox churchreligion

You Might Also Like

Flagpole Ripper
  • April 13, 2023

Flagpole Ripper

A man was arrested for tearing down a Russian flag at a police department.
Masha, The War Criminal
  • March 22, 2023

Masha, The War Criminal

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova. Who is she?
The Wages of Conscience
  • February 12, 2023

The Wages of Conscience

The editors of the religious website Holy Fire have called for the defrocking of 293 priests who last year signed a petition demanding an end to hostilities in Ukraine.
It's My Church Now
  • January 10, 2023

It's My Church Now

The Primate of Ukraine conducted Christmas Liturgy in a Kyivan cathedral formerly used by the Moscow Patriarchate.
Query
Template: /muraWRM/core/mura/content/feed/feedGateway.cfc:250
Execution Time: 0.812 ms
Record Count: 0
Cached: No
Lazy: No
SQL:
SELECT
tcontent.siteid, tcontent.title, tcontent.menutitle, tcontent.restricted, tcontent.restrictgroups,
tcontent.type, tcontent.subType, tcontent.filename, tcontent.displaystart, tcontent.displaystop,
tcontent.remotesource, tcontent.remoteURL,tcontent.remotesourceURL, tcontent.keypoints,
tcontent.contentID, tcontent.parentID, tcontent.approved, tcontent.isLocked, tcontent.contentHistID,tcontent.target, tcontent.targetParams,
tcontent.releaseDate, tcontent.lastupdate,tcontent.summary,
tfiles.fileSize,tfiles.fileExt,tcontent.fileid,
tcontent.tags,tcontent.credits,tcontent.audience, tcontent.orderNo,
tcontentstats.rating,tcontentstats.totalVotes,tcontentstats.downVotes,tcontentstats.upVotes,
tcontentstats.comments, tparent.type parentType,
tcontent.path, tcontent.created, tcontent.nextn, tcontent.majorVersion, tcontent.minorVersion, tcontentstats.lockID, tcontentstats.lockType, tcontent.expires,
tfiles.filename as AssocFilename,tcontent.displayInterval,tcontent.display,tcontentfilemetadata.altText as fileAltText,tcontent.changesetid
FROM
tcontent
left Join tfiles on (tcontent.fileid=tfiles.fileid)
left Join tcontentstats on (tcontent.contentid=tcontentstats.contentid
and tcontent.siteid=tcontentstats.siteid)
Left Join tcontent tparent on (tcontent.parentid=tparent.contentid
and tcontent.siteid=tparent.siteid
and tparent.active=1)
Left Join tcontentfilemetadata on (tcontent.fileid=tcontentfilemetadata.fileid
and tcontent.contenthistid=tcontentfilemetadata.contenthistid
and tcontent.siteid=tcontentfilemetadata.siteid)
WHERE
tcontent.siteid in ('default')
and tcontent.active = 1
and tcontent.Approved = 1
AND tcontent.isNav = 1
AND tcontent.moduleid = '00000000000000000000000000000000000'
AND tcontent.searchExclude = 0
AND tcontent.contentid <> '00000000000000000000000000000000001'
AND tcontent.type <>'Module'
and (
tcontent.parentid
=
'BD5F748A-3410-4CF3-969612D6F4639BFD'
and
tcontent.subtype
=
'footnote'
)
AND (
tcontent.Display = 1
OR
(
tcontent.Display = 2
AND
(
(
tparent.type!='Calendar'
and tcontent.DisplayStart <=
{ts '2026-04-01 19:15:00'}
and (tcontent.DisplayStop >=
{ts '2026-04-01 19:15:00'} or tcontent.DisplayStop is null)
) OR (
tparent.type='Calendar'
and tcontent.DisplayStart <=
{ts '2027-04-01 19:15:00'}
and (tcontent.DisplayStop >=
{ts '2026-04-01 19:15:00'} or tcontent.DisplayStop is null)
)
)
)
)
AND (
tcontent.mobileExclude is null
OR
tcontent.mobileExclude in (0,1)
)
order by
tcontent.lastUpdate desc
siteidtitlemenutitlerestrictedrestrictgroupstypesubTypefilenamedisplaystartdisplaystopremotesourceremoteURLremotesourceURLkeypointscontentIDparentIDapprovedisLockedcontentHistIDtargettargetParamsreleaseDatelastupdatesummaryfileSizefileExtfileidtagscreditsaudienceorderNoratingtotalVotesdownVotesupVotescommentsparentTypepathcreatednextnmajorVersionminorVersionlockIDlockTypeexpiresAssocFilenamedisplayIntervaldisplayfileAltTextchangesetid
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Useful Links

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955

[email protected]