PATRIARCH KIRILL ON THE DEATH PENALTY & A DEFENSIVE WAR

  

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'

INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8794

12 October 2011, 10:41

Patriarch Kirill against introducing death penalty in modern Russia

Chisinau, October 12, Interfax - Death penalty is acceptable in special cases, but existing judicial system cannot provide its justified use, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia believes.

"I'm against death penalty in today's Russia. Today to get rid of a competitor, they order a killer. Considering current state of our courts, if there's a death penalty, people will be "removed" legally. And it's a great danger," the Patriarch said in his interview with Moldavian, Romanian TV channels and Rossiya-24 TV.

According to him, there have already been several cases "when suddenly, in the last moment, it was cleared out that the person wasn't guilty."

"Thus if we speak about bringing back death penalty in some concrete cases, when we refer to maniacs, mass murders, terrorists, but we should have absolutely strong evidence that the person committed it and he wasn't forced to take this guilt, such things can take place in future," Patriarch Kirill believes.

The Primate reminded that the church tradition does not condemn or refuse death penalty, Christ Himself "was crucified, He went through death penalty, but He has never said that criminals shouldn't be executed and holy fathers don't say it either."

"Rejection of death penalty is not the result of Christian tradition, but the result of a new liberal philosophic idea that appeared in West European space," he said.

The Patriarch noted that though the Church had never spoke against death penalty, it spoke against applying it and there were only seven or eight cases of death penalty in the Russian Empire for more than hundred years.

INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3405056/Head-Russian-Orthodox-Church-Rise-ISIS-world-accepted-homosexuality.html

Head of Russian Orthodox Church: 'Rise of ISIS is because 'godless' world has accepted homosexuality'

• Patriarch Kirill claimed Muslims may be fleeing from a 'godless civilization'
• The 69-year-old said it was little surprise so many were joining caliphate
• Earlier this month, Kirill justified the Kremlin's bombing campaign in Syria 

By Julian Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 01:56 EST, 19 January 2016 | Updated: 02:34 EST, 19 January 2016 

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has suggested the rise of ISIS is partly the result of the world accepting homosexuality.

Patriarch Kirill claimed Muslims may be fleeing to join the terror group in Syria and Iraq to avoid being part of a civilization that holds events like Gay Pride.

The 69-year-old said it was little surprise so many were joining the caliphate and that he could offer more 'simply frightening examples' of how the 'godless civilization' was growing.

According to the Independent, Kirill told the Church's official website: '(ISIS) is creating a civilization that is new by comparison to the established one that is godless, secular and even radical in its secularism.'

He added: 'We can have parades for the sexual minorities - that is supported - but a million French Christian protestors defending family values are broken up by police.' 

'Look how they (the West) build the world – an unholy world - but we invite you to build God's world… and they (ISIS supporters) respond to that; it is for this they give their lives,' Kirill told the website, according to the Independent.

Earlier this month, Kirill  justified the Kremlin's bombing campaign in Syria, calling it a 'defensive war'.

He said Moscow's military strikes were necessary to protect Russia from 'terrorism'.

'As long as the war is carried out in self-defence, then it is just,' Kirill told state-run Rossiya 1 television channel.

'All that is happening is a self-defensive, responsive action. In that sense, we can safely talk about it is a just struggle.'

The Kremlin launched a bombing campaign in Syria in late September at the request of its long-standing ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad saying it was targeting jihadists who posed a threat to Russia.

But the campaign has drawn condemnation from the West -- which accuses Moscow of bombing moderate groups to prop up Assad - and allegations that it has caused mass civilian casualties.

Russia's Orthodox Church enjoys close ties with the Kremlin and has seen its influence grow as conservative values have been increasingly promoted during President Vladimir Putin's 15 years in charge.