French President Emmanuel Macron has accused the Russian Orthodox Church of allowing itself to be manipulated by the country’s authorities to justify their war in Ukraine and urged it to resist such pressure.
Macron, who is on an official visit to Italy, spoke in a keynote speech at an international conference organized by Italy’s Sant’ Egidio Community, a worldwide peace and charity group.
The Russian Orthodox Church’s number two, Metropolitan Anthony, sat in the front row of the conference hall with other religious leaders as Macron spoke.
The French president dedicated much of his speech at the conference, whose title is “The Cry for Peace”, to Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has given enthusiastic backing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the patriarch views as a bulwark against a West he calls decadent.
Macron said: “Religious leaders also have a role of resistance when faced with the folly of these events,” referring to the war in Ukraine.
He said: “We know well how the Orthodox religion today is being manipulated by those in power in Russia to justify their actions.
“Resistance is needed here.”
Macron said resistance meant “never justifying, never falling into the trap, not backing political projects that tend to negate the dignity of every individual”.