Religious leaders address spiritual impacts of Russia-Ukraine war

Religious leaders are addressing the spiritual and institutional impacts of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Ecumenical Patriarch has condemned the Russian government's characterization of the conflict as a ‘holy war,’ stating that such a concept is incoherent and that no war can be holy.

The conflict has caused significant division within the Orthodox Church, with tensions arising over the autocephaly of the Ukrainian church and ethnic divisions among bishops. This has led to a landscape where Orthodox churches are often divided along nationalistic and ethnic lines.

In Kyiv, the papal nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, emphasized the role of faith and prayer for Ukrainian Catholics as the full-scale invasion approaches its fifth year. He noted the difficulty of conveying the lived reality of the war to those observing from a distance and highlighted the importance of spiritual resilience amid the continued aggression.