Sociologist of religion Jerry Pankhurst (Wittenberg University) and political scientist Alar Kilp (University of Tartu) discuss the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian-Ukrainian war, explain why Moscow Patriarch Kirill supports Putin, and foresee the future of the church. The discussion is moderated by Dmytro Vovk, co-editor of the ICLRS blog Talk About: Law and Religion.

Timeline:

0:00 – Introductory slides

0:12 – The role of religion in the Russian-Ukrainian war

8:40 – Is the Russian Orthodox Church responsible for the war?

18:47 – The war and the Russian Orthodox Church’s position in Ukraine

26:40 – The future of the Russian Orthodox Church

36:15 – The Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Western cultural wars.