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The Conversation
The Conversation
Scott Kenworthy, Professor of Comparative Religion, Miami University

Why is Russia's church backing Putin's war? Church-state history gives a clue

Vladimir Putin speaks to Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill (center) in Samolva, Russia, on Sept. 11, 2021. Alexei Druzhinin/Pool Photo via AP

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has defended Russia’s actions and blamed the conflict on the West.

Patriarch Kirill’s support for the invasion of a country where millions of people belong to his own church has led critics to conclude that Orthodox leadership has become little more than an arm of the state – and that this is the role it usually plays.

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