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Blessing Ballistic Missiles Is Fine “If They Serve the People,” Says Russian Orthodox Priest

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Blessing Ballistic Missiles Is Fine “If They Serve the People,” Says Russian Orthodox Priest
Russian Church members blessing Russian Topol-M ballistic missile. (Photo: open source)

A senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church has claimed that blessing ballistic missiles is permissible if they serve the interests of the people, Russian media The Moscow Times reported on May 5.

“There is nothing wrong with saying kind words over an object that serves the benefit of certain people… from a ballistic missile to a ballpoint pen,” said Hieromonk Makary of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Diocese, speaking to Russian outlet Abzats.

The statement echoes a previous declaration made by the Church in August last year when a senior official said that even nuclear weapons could be blessed under certain conditions.

“On one hand, it might seem unacceptable to bless something that spreads death,” said Archpriest Konstantin Tatartintsev, first deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement.

“But on the other hand, it is a weapon of deterrence. Those who possess it are less likely to use it against us. In that sense, it is a guarantee of peace. Blessing it—not for its use in war, but for its role in preserving peace—is entirely acceptable.”

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has also endorsed the spiritual significance of nuclear arms, declaring that “Russia has remained independent and free” thanks to nuclear weapons, which he claimed were created with divine guidance granted to Soviet scientists.

Earlier, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church stated that Christians should not fear the end of the world, even in the context of nuclear weapons.

“Nuclear weapons should not cause fear, as Christians are not afraid of the end of the world. We await the Lord Jesus, who will come in great glory, destroy evil, and judge all nations,” the Patriarch stated.

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