Does the ROC approve the death penalty? Patriarch Kirill made an ambiguous statement.

The head of the ROC, Vladimir Gundyaev, known as Patriarch Kirill, emphasized that the death penalty is allegedly not condemned in the Holy Scriptures, and if a person cannot be isolated in any way, they

need to be removed

Gundyaev emphasized that the death penalty has existed throughout all human history.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not condemn the death penalty, though He Himself was unjustly executed. Of course, killing a person as punishment for their crimes is an extreme measure. Ideally, it would be best for people not to commit such crimes that would lead to the death penalty. However, in God's word, there are such words: "Remove the evil from among yourselves" (1 Cor. 5:13). That is, if there is a person most dangerous for society and if it is impossible to isolate them in any way, they need to be removed. The Lord does not say: "kill him", but "remove the evil from among yourselves," the Russian patriarch said.

The head of the ROC believes that the death penalty is not condemned in the Holy Scriptures.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself was unlawfully subjected to the death penalty, and yet the holy apostles did not say: "After such, such injustice, when our Lord Jesus Christ was subjected to the death penalty, we all must proclaim that it is terrible and a sin to subject another person to punishment by ending life." No such thing was said anywhere, "Gundyaev stated.

According to him, the Russian church "has never insisted that this punishment should be abolished." "I want to say once again: the Church has never condemned the death penalty if the death penalty was carried out according to the law, but, of course, nowhere has it welcomed execution," Kirill noted.

Formally, the death penalty is not abolished in Russia: an indefinite moratorium on it has been in effect in the country since 1997. This was one of the main conditions for joining the Council of Europe. Russia left the organization after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine - in March 2022. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev noted that the authorities could bring back execution in "wartime" or if the country experiences an "overwhelming" level of the most severe crimes, primarily murders.

Incidentally, the church in light of the Gospel teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible because it infringes on the inviolability and dignity of the human person, and therefore it resolutely makes efforts for its abolition worldwide. This is the new formulation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the death penalty.

Incidentally, the head of the ROC believes that "peace-loving and self-sufficient" Russians rape, kill, and rob only to protect their "sacred borders." Moreover, after the partial mobilization for war in Ukraine announced by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Patriarch Kirill once again blessed the Russians for murder.

The bishop of the ROC also stated that death in the war with Ukraine "washes away all sins" and effectively compared the mobilized with Jesus Christ: in his opinion, their death in the war represents a sacrifice for others.

Earlier, Patriarch Kirill announced that Russia would now save the whole planet from fascism. Also, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill tried to explain why Russian President Vladimir Putin started the war against Ukraine and cynically justified the dictator's actions.

Moreover, Patriarch Kirill thanked Putin for the war in Ukraine. Hence, he once again emphasized that the Russian church is in favor of war in Ukraine, killings, terrorism against Ukrainians, and war crimes by the armies of the occupiers.