June 15, 2023

ROC: Pacifism is Heresy


ROC: Pacifism is Heresy
John Burdin, former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. NEXTA, Twitter.

A Russian Orthodox priest who is noted for his defiance to authority and standing against Russia's War on Ukraine, posted a call for peace and was condemned by the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 11, Mediazona reported that a church court file on the case said that pacifism was "incompatible" with Orthodox teachings.

In February 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, John Burdin, a priest in the Kostroma diocese, posted a statement on his church's website condemning the war in Ukraine:

"We, Christians, don't dare stand to the side when a brother kills another, [when] a Christian kills another. We cannot close our eyes, shamefaced, and call what is black white, what is good evil (...)."

A month later, Burdin gave an anti-war sermon at his local church, for which he was fined. Burdin left his parish shortly afterward, yet continued to criticize the church on Telegram. On March 19, he was banned from the priesthood. In church court documents, arguments against the priest said that pacifism was "heretical."1
Burdin's primary charge revolves around the violation of ancient canonical rules, including the Apostolic Canons that penalize those who insult one's tsar or superiors. The court argues that Burdin's sermon in March 2022, where he claimed that Christians cannot remain indifferent when one Christian kills another, discredits the military.

President Vladimir Putin has relied on his alliance with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to justify invading Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill has called the war "metaphysical" and claimed that dying in the battle could liberate one's sins. Most priests are aligned with the Kremlin, and those who don't face persecution. The FSB interrogated priest Maxim Nagibin after he delivered an anti-war Easter sermon.

Other faiths have also been persecuted. The Supreme Lama of Kalmykia, Erdne Ombadykow, was declared a foreign agent and fled to Mongolia. Pinchas Goldschmidt, the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, is also in exile.

The Russian Orthodox Church has argued that pacifism has historically been associated with heretical doctrines in the past. Indeed, noted author and Christian pacifist (who was himself excommunicated from the ROC) Lev Tolstoy wrote, in  "Christianity and Patriotism" (1895), "In all history, there is no war which was not hatched by a Government independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful."

You Might Also Like

Flagpole Ripper
  • April 13, 2023

Flagpole Ripper

A man was arrested for tearing down a Russian flag at a police department.
Masha, The War Criminal
  • March 22, 2023

Masha, The War Criminal

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova. Who is she?
The Wages of Conscience
  • February 12, 2023

The Wages of Conscience

The editors of the religious website Holy Fire have called for the defrocking of 293 priests who last year signed a petition demanding an end to hostilities in Ukraine.
It's My Church Now
  • January 10, 2023

It's My Church Now

The Primate of Ukraine conducted Christmas Liturgy in a Kyivan cathedral formerly used by the Moscow Patriarchate.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955