ROCOR Council: We grieve over the fratricidal war between Christians

Liturgy of the participants in the Bishops’ Council. Photo: UOJ

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has concluded its Bishops’ Council, held from April 29 to May 5, 2026, at the Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Elizabeth in Buchendorf, Germany. In the final epistle adopted by the Council, the hierarchs said they “grieve over the fratricidal war between Christians.” This was reported by the official ROCOR website.

The Council was held at the monastery near Munich. In the conciliar epistle, dated May 5, 2026, the archpastors stressed: “A fratricidal war, a war between those of the same faith, is the greatest of sorrows and cannot but shake every Orthodox heart.” The hierarchs called on the faithful children of the Church to intensify their prayers for peace and recalled that the Church “by Her very nature cannot call for war, but always prays for peace.”

As the UOJ reported, Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe earlier called military action an evil that cannot be justified. ROCOR consistently maintains a position of non-interference in politics, provides humanitarian aid to refugees, and calls on the parties to the conflict to enter negotiations.

Read also