Clergy leave Russian church in Amsterdam for fear of Putin’s long arm
Clergy members of the Russian Orthodox Holy Nicholas of Myra Church in Amsterdam are leaving the church because they feel pressured by their archbishop and the Russian state, the church reported Saturday.
The four priests and the deacon of the parish are affected. The clergy are taking the “very difficult step with pain in their hearts.” They say it is no longer possible to “offer a spiritually safe environment.”
The clergy is against the war in Ukraine and would have been pressured last weekend by the Russian Orthodox bishop Elisey to change their position, writes the Nederlands Dagblad. After all, the Russian church is in favor of the war in Ukraine. Elisey also let it be known that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following the church in Amsterdam “with great interest.
A source from the newspaper describes Elisey’s visit as “a spiritual tank that was sent to the parish.”
The four clergymen have made a request to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to be accepted into that diocese. The parish board supports the clergy’s decision. In two weeks, a general parish meeting will decide whether the parish will also follow the clergy in the move.
Church was previously daubed with Z symbol
There had already been unrest around the church recently, after it indicated that it would no longer mention the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, in worship services because of statements made by this patriarch about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He sought to blame the invasion on “foreign parties” in a prayer.
On Tuesday, the Russian Orthodox Church was still daubed with the controversial pro-Russian Z symbol. The parish then went to the police to discuss security measures. Church services were cancelled as a precaution.
It is not yet clear from which quarter the daubing came. There is a chance that the Z symbol was spray-painted on the church on purpose, so that it might be the target of revenge attacks. The church is visited by people from several countries. Therefore, in an earlier statement, the church administration let it be known that it is not an entirely Russian church, “nor a Ukrainian one.”
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DeepL translation:
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Clergy leave Russian church in Amsterdam for fear of Putin’s long arm
Clergy members of the Russian Orthodox Holy Nicholas of Myra Church in Amsterdam are leaving the church because they feel pressured by their archbishop and the Russian state, the church reported Saturday.
The four priests and the deacon of the parish are affected. The clergy are taking the “very difficult step with pain in their hearts.” They say it is no longer possible to “offer a spiritually safe environment.”
The clergy is against the war in Ukraine and would have been pressured last weekend by the Russian Orthodox bishop Elisey to change their position, writes the Nederlands Dagblad. After all, the Russian church is in favor of the war in Ukraine. Elisey also let it be known that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following the church in Amsterdam “with great interest.
A source from the newspaper describes Elisey’s visit as “a spiritual tank that was sent to the parish.”
The four clergymen have made a request to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to be accepted into that diocese. The parish board supports the clergy’s decision. In two weeks, a general parish meeting will decide whether the parish will also follow the clergy in the move.
Church was previously daubed with Z symbol
There had already been unrest around the church recently, after it indicated that it would no longer mention the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, in worship services because of statements made by this patriarch about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He sought to blame the invasion on “foreign parties” in a prayer.
On Tuesday, the Russian Orthodox Church was still daubed with the controversial pro-Russian Z symbol. The parish then went to the police to discuss security measures. Church services were cancelled as a precaution.
It is not yet clear from which quarter the daubing came. There is a chance that the Z symbol was spray-painted on the church on purpose, so that it might be the target of revenge attacks. The church is visited by people from several countries. Therefore, in an earlier statement, the church administration let it be known that it is not an entirely Russian church, “nor a Ukrainian one.”