The statements of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, during his sermon last Sunday, sparked a lot of controversy, as he considered that whoever dies during what he called the performance of the duty of war in Ukraine will erase all his sins.

These statements come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decision to partially mobilize 300,000 reserve soldiers to fight the war in Ukraine.

According to Russian legislation, people between the ages of 18 and 60, whether men or women, can in theory be called up in the reserve forces.

Russian Patriarch Kirill said on Sunday that if a mobilized person dies in combat, "his sacrifice would wash away his sins".

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— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 26, 2022

Patriarch Kirill said, "If a person dies in the performance of this duty, he has undoubtedly done an act equivalent to sacrifice. Thus, we believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins committed by man."

On the communication sites, these statements sparked controversy, as one of the accounts said that "the philosophy of the patriarch is very simple, which is to go and kill the Ukrainians. If you die, the church will forgive you for all your sins."

Orthodox Church leader says Russian soldiers dying in Ukraine will be cleansed of sin https://t.co/KhC8FM6ir9 pic.twitter.com/UyyAxIbKX3

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 26, 2022

Another added that there is no biblical support for the statement of the Patriarch of Moscow.

"Jesus Christ calls us to love one another and not kill," he said.

There is no Biblical basis for Archbishop Kirill's statement that Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine will be 'cleansed of all sin'.

It's made-up nationalistic theology.

Jesus Christ calls us to love one another and not to kill.

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— John Neate (@JohnNeateCM) September 27, 2022

For his part, one of the tweeters said that "if Patriarch Kirill was a Muslim cleric, many Westerners would describe him as a terrorist... Why is this Russian Orthodox extremism not called (terrorism)?"

If Patriarch Kirill was a Muslim cleric, much of the West would call him a terrorist.

Why isn't this called Russian Orthodox extremism?

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— Terrell Jermaine Starr 🇺🇦 (@terrelljstarr) September 26, 2022

Papa Putin

Kirill is nicknamed in the Western media as "Putin's Pope", and specialists in the Russian Orthodox Church believe that Kirill is Putin's spiritual guide, and much is told about his role in tightening the religious nerve behind the Russian military establishment, where "priests accompany the soldiers in their conquests, or bless the missiles." .

Bishop Kirill was elected Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia in 2009, thus becoming the spiritual leader of about 110 million Orthodox Christians, succeeding Patriarch Alexy II.

In addition to his role in the administrative restructuring of the Orthodox Church, Kirill is known to be one of Putin's most prominent allies.

When he was elected patriarch in 2009, Putin attended the ceremonies and was prime minister at the time.

The relationship between the two men is believed to be due to their joint intelligence service.

Kirill is known for his positions in support of Russian military operations, as he blessed the Russian intervention in Syria, Crimea and eastern Ukraine.