The Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who is visiting Japan, told NHK that he criticized the Russian army for kidnapping and torturing priests in the occupied territories. He called on Orthodox clergy to show their opposition to the military invasion.
Archbishop Evstrati of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who has penetrated many people in Ukraine, is visiting Japan to attend an international conference of religious people, and answered an NHK interview in Tokyo on the 20th.
In it, Archbishop Evstrati said, "In the occupied province of Kherson, priests were kidnapped, tortured, and forced to sign documents requesting cooperation with Russian intelligence services." He also accused the invasion of religious damage.
Regarding the support of military invasion by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who is said to be close to President Putin, he said, "For centuries Russia has used the Orthodox Church as a tool of imperialism. We do not support specific politicians or individuals," he said, recognizing that politics and religion should keep a certain distance so that religion is not used to justify war.
After that, Archbishop Evstrati said, ``Religious leaders should raise their voices so that peace will come as soon as possible,'' and called on the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church to show their opposition to military invasion.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church became independent from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2019 due to the deterioration of relations with Russia. It's deepening.