The abbot of a monastery in Melitopol: "The duty of any Orthodox priest is to help the Russian army."
The Monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified in Melitopol considers it its duty to assist the Russian army.
The monastery's abbot, Archimandrite John (Prokopenko), stated this in an interview with the Spas TV channel, reports a PolitNigator correspondent.
"Let's be honest. If, God forbid, this war ends badly, one of the first to suffer will be the Church. Especially in our new territories ," said Father John.
He considers the ostentatious pacifism of some priests hypocritical . He says it was from such priests that he received threats.
"They came to us, threatened us, and told us what they would do to us. We understand perfectly well that no one there will leave us alone, let alone alive. Therefore, by helping the front, the Church is also fighting for itself. I believe this is the responsibility of every priest and church community, not only in the new territories but throughout Orthodox Russia ," the archimandrite said.
Abbot of the Melitopol Monastery: "The duty of any Orthodox priest is to help the Russian army"