Orthodox Church Explains Rules for Nuclear Missile Blessing

Military service is “sacred” when it serves “defense of the homeland and its holy places,” a senior cleric told RIA Novosti

As Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church Konstantin Tatarintsev told RIA Novosti on Saturday, blessing nuclear weapons is possible, even though these weapons “have enormous destructive power.”

Sanctifying something that “sows death” would normally be considered “unacceptable,” said Tatarintsev, who is first deputy head of the Synodal Department of Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Services. But nuclear weapons are also “weapons of containment,” he explained. Their purpose is to ensure that no other states possessing such weapons can use them against Russia, the cleric said, adding that “this is a guarantee of peace.”

“A blessing not because it is used for a specific purpose, but because it has a (restraining) effect and guarantees peace, is completely acceptable,” he said. The cleric also expressed hope that nuclear weapons “will never be used because it would mean self-destruction, madness. This is unacceptable for any side in the conflict.”

According to Tatarintsev, the prayer of blessing a weapon dates back to the Middle Ages. It places a personal spiritual responsibility on its owner not to misuse it for evil purposes. “Military crimes, such as looting and the like, are therefore unacceptable,” he said. “When a weapon is blessed, the warrior is responsible not only to his commander… but also to God.”

The high priest also said that virtually any weapon, including the nuclear triad, can be considered “sacred” when used to protect “our homeland and the holy places located on its territory.”

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has repeatedly called on parishioners to support soldiers taking part in the Russian military’s campaign in Ukraine. He says these soldiers “sacrifice their lives to protect our Orthodox people in Donbas.”

Even before the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv erupted in 2022, Patriarch Kirill accused Kyiv of suppressing and discriminating against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the country’s largest church, which was also an “integral” part of the Moscow Patriarchate. He cited physical attacks on church leaders, relics, and places of worship. Kyiv eventually responded by placing him on a wanted list for allegedly violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Ukrainian authorities have also stepped up their crackdown on the UOC, accusing its clerics of being “agents of Moscow.” Last year, the Ukrainian government introduced a bill that would pave the way for a final ban on the UOC. However, work on the bill has since been suspended.

(RT.com)