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Russian Priests for Peace News March 1, 2022

(Click here for the original Russian version published in Google docs.)

We, the priests and deacons of the Russian Orthodox Church, each on our own behalf, appeal to everyone on whom the cessation of the fratricidal war in Ukraine depends, with a call for reconciliation and an immediate ceasefire.

We are sending this appeal after the Sunday of the Last Judgment and on the eve of Forgiveness Sunday.

The Last Judgment awaits every person. No earthly authority, no doctors, no guards will protect you from this trial. Caring for the salvation of every person who considers himself a child of the Russian Orthodox Church, we do not want him to appear at this court bearing the heavy burden of maternal curses. We remind you that the Blood of Christ shed by the Savior for the life of the world will be accepted in the sacrament of Communion by those people who give murderous orders, not into life, but into eternal torment.

We mourn the ordeal to which our brothers and sisters in Ukraine were unfairly subjected.

We remind you that the life of every person is a priceless and unique gift of God, and therefore we wish all the soldiers – both Russian and Ukrainian – to return to their homes and families unharmed.
We are bitterly thinking about the abyss that our children and grandchildren in Russia and Ukraine will have to overcome in order to start being friends with each other again, respect and love each other.
We respect God-given human freedom, and we believe that the people of Ukraine should make their choice independently, not at gunpoint, without pressure from the West or the East.

In anticipation of the Forgiven Sunday, we remind you that the gates of paradise are opened to anyone, even a person who has sinned heavily, if he asks for forgiveness from those whom he humiliated, insulted, despised, or from those who were killed by his hands or by his order. There is no other way but forgiveness and mutual reconciliation.

“The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the earth; and now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand,” God said to Cain, who envied his younger brother. Woe to every person who realizes that these words are addressed to him personally.

No nonviolent call for peace and an end to war should be forcibly suppressed and regarded as a violation of the law, for this is the divine commandment: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

We call on all the warring parties to engage in dialogue, because there is no other alternative to violence. Only the ability to hear another person can give hope for a way out of the abyss into which our countries were thrown in just a few days.

Let yourself and all of us enter Lent in the spirit of faith, hope and love.

Stop the war.

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Abbot Arseniy (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and the Whole East

Abbot Nektary (Morozov)

Priest Alexy Antonovsky

Abbot Nikodim (Balyasnikov)

Priest Hildo Bos

Priest Vasily Bush

Archpriest Stefan Vaneyan

Hieromonk Jacob (Vorontsov)

Priest Alexander Vostrodymov.

Priest Dionysius Gabbasov

Priest Andrey German

Archpriest Evgeny Goryachev (veteran of the Afghan War)

Hieromonk John (Guaita)

Priest Alexy Dikarev

Priest Alexander Zanemonets

Archpriest Vladimir Zelinsky

Archpriest Peter Ivanov

Archpriest George Ioffe

Deacon Ilya Kolin

Archpriest Andrew Kordochkin

priest Lazarus of Lenzi

Archpriest Andrei Lorgus

Abbot Peter (meshaninov)

Archpriest Constantine Momotov

priest Eugene frost

hieromonk Dimitry (Pershin)

father Alexander Piskunov

Archpriest Stephen Platt

Archpriest Dionisy Pozdnyaev

Archpriest George Roy

priest Nikolay Savchenko

hieromonk IBAS, instead (of Senchukov)

Archpriest Joseph Skinner

Archpriest Dimitry Sobolewski

deacon Pimen Trofimov

Archpriest Alexander Shabanov

hieromonk Cyprian (Countrymen)

priest John Leontiev

Archpriest Vitaly Shkarupin

Archpriest Sergiy Dmitriev

Archpriest Vladimir Korolev

Archpriest Sergey Titkov

Priest Artemiy Morozov

Priest Alexy Zorin

Archpriest Andrey Lvov

Archpriest Sergiy Storozhev

Priest Ilia Gavryshkiv

Archpriest Vitaly Fonkin

Priest Artemiy Kolyagin

Hierodeacon Elisha (Romantsov).

Priest Gleb Krivoshein

Deacon John Myzdrikov

Deacon Valerian Dunin-Barkovsky

Priest Vladislav Bogomolnikov

Archpriest Vladimir Drobyshevsky

Priest Vadim Karpenko

Archpriest Gleb Vechelkovsky

prot. Theodore van der Voort

Priest Fyodor Kosolapov

Priest Anthony Lynov

Priest Anthony Kovalenko

Archpriest Dionysius Kuznetsov

Priest Dmitry Lukyanov

Priest Pavel Kasperovich

Archpriest Valentin Bonilla

Hieromonk Onesimus

the priest Alexei Pichugin

Archpriest Oleg Shulgin

Archpriest Dionisy the wards

Archpriest Victor Teplitsky

Archpriest Anatoly Bark

priest Alexey Cosoleto

deacon Alexander Pushkarev

hieromonk Hilarion

Archpriest Alexander Dubovoy

Archpriest Pavel Serdyuk

priest John Burdin

father Alexander Kuchta

deacon Dmitry Korostelev

Archpriest Georgy Zavershinsky

Archpriest Andrey Kuzma

priest Paul Countrymen

father Dimitry Vinitsky

the priest George Khristich

priest Anthony Serafimovich

monk Laurel (Solomon)

Deacon Alexey Perunovsky

Archpriest Vasily Petrov

Deacon Stefan Kuzmin

Priest Dmitry Ushakov

Priest Yakov Korobkov

Priest Alexander Nasibulin

Archpriest Mikhail Ilyin

Priest Konstantin Lebedev

Hieromonk Peter (Belov)

Hieromonk Seraphim (Standhardt)

Deacon Andrey Georgievich Morozov

Deacon Alexy Khilko

Archpriest Mikhail Fast

Protodeacon Igor Panachev

Archpriest Mikhail Evgenievich Klochkov

Priest Alexander Lebedich

Deacon Vladimir Olshevsky-Davydov

Priest Vasily Maksimishinets

Archpriest Peter Korotaev

Archpriest Igor Precup

Archpriest John Gate

Archpriest Sergiy Markevich

Priest Oleg Usenkov

Priest Alexander Novikov

Priest Sergiy Voinkov

Priest Anthony Kopaev

Deacon Oleg Karlashchuk

priest Dimitri Savin

Archpriest Pavel Kivovich

Priest Mikhail Bakker

Archpriest Igor Tarasov

Priest Sergiy Dudin

Archpriest Andrey Lobashinsky

Archpriest Mikhail Nemnonov

Priest Roman Savchuk

Priest John Terauds

Abbot Varlaam (Borin) Abbot Anthony (Loginov)

Deacon Oleg Ageenko

Archpriest Alexy Shishkov

Hierodeacon Kliment (Volyansky)

Priest Vyacheslav Shafarenko

Priest Sergiy Dyrman

Priests and deacons of the Russian Orthodox Church who wish to subscribe to the letter can write to russianpriestsforpeace@gmail.com”