Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow has received much largely justified criticism for placing his Church alongside Vladimir Putin in the invasion of Ukraine. To understand how he could do that, it helps to know how he came to be Kyrill. Just before his ordination as a priest the Bishop named him Kyrill after St Cyril the philosopher, who was the Apostle to the Slavic peoples in the 9th century. This Cyril, too, was given his name when he became a monk. He in turn was most likely named after St Cyril of Alexandria, who with St Athanasius is seen as one of the two pillars of the Orthodox Church. His feast occurs on 27 June. The story of the two earlier Cyrils illuminate the conduct of the present Patriarch of Moscow.
The 9th century Cyril was born in Thessalonika and educated and ordained in Constantinople. His first appointment was to teach philosophy in the seminary, where he was given missions to distant tribes. Later the Patriarch of Constantinople sent him to preach the Gospel to the Slavs. This mission was delicate because both the Western and the Eastern Churches were sending missionaries there. At issue was whether they should use the Slavonic language or Latin. The ruler of the Slav area to which Cyril, and later his brother Methodius, went insisted that it should be Slavonic. Cyril learned the language and invented the Cyrillic script in which to translate the Christian books.
When criticised by missionaries from present day Germany Cyril travelled to Rome to win the support of the Pope who had authority over the Western missionaries. The Pope did so and continued to support his mission and the use of the Slavonic liturgy during later feuds between rulers and church leaders. As a result, Cyril and Methodius are recognised by Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches as apostles to the Slavs and the founder of the Churches. Cyril’s policy was to recognise and work with secular and other church authorities in his mission. His critics often accused him of selling out.
The 5th century Cyril was Patriarch of Alexandria, a great Church as important as those of Rome and Constantinople. He was a fine theologian and preacher at a time of great conflict within the church. He had a troop of 300 bodyguards, and a reputation for autocracy. He had to deal with the Emperor in Constantinople and other Patriarchs, some as imperious as he was, in disputes about faith. He usually finished on the winning side, but often alienated his opponents. Like the later Cyril he accepted the partnership between Church and Empire and the God-given duty of the Emperor to protect the unity of the Church and its faith.
The Orthodox Churches have inherited a tradition in which the ruler and the Church work together in shaping a Christian society. It has its problems when rulers lead the nation in ways that contradict the Christian Gospel, as is surely the case in the invasion of Ukraine.
Patriarch Kyrill inherited that tradition. Like Cyril the Philosopher in his relationship with the Roman Church, he sought and promoted contact with Western churches when working with the World Council of Churches and its ecumenical initiatives. But he is unimpressed by what he sees as the separation of Church and government and the resultant corruption of churches in the West. This strengthens his commitment to follow his namesake Saints in the Orthodox Church in stressing the need of the Church to work with rulers together in strengthening the Church. For him that includes bringing the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine into their former subordination to the Church of Moscow.
All Christians, and especially their spiritual leaders, face a tension between their role in society and their call to preach and live the Gospel. We might sympathise with Kyrill in that difficult charge, while insisting that making and encouraging modern war are in total contradiction with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
St Cyril of Alexandria
412-444
Feast day: 27 JunePatron: Alexandria
Ss Cyril and Methodius
827-869 Cyril; 815-885 Methodius
Feast day: 14 February
Patrons: Europe