ROCOR Council Comments on 'Fratricidal War' in Ukraine
Bishops called for prayer, peace, and Christian unity amid the ongoing war linked to the heritage of Kievan Rus’.
MUNICH — The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) issued a pastoral epistle this week emphasizing prayer and spiritual unity amid ongoing global conflicts, with particular attention to the war in Ukraine.
In the message released during the bishops’ council in Germany, the hierarchs lamented “wars, conflicts and persecutions” affecting Christians and others worldwide. The bishops specifically referenced “the fratricidal war waged between Christians born of the same baptismal font of Kievan Rus’,” describing the conflict as a source of deep sorrow.
The council called on clergy and faithful to intensify prayers “for peace, for the cessation of bloodshed,” and for all those suffering from war and hardship. The bishops also urged believers to become “bearers of the peace and love of Christ” and cited the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to preserve “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The epistle was issued during a council marking the centenary of ROCOR’s German Diocese.
Previously, the UOJ reported that ROCOR has officially begun preparations for the glorification of Fr. Seraphim Rose.
