Russian Orthodox church leader Kirill wants to lift moratorium on death penalty

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) says it does not condemn the death penalty, asserting that Jesus Christ himself did not denounce this form of punishment. 

Patriarch Kirill (secularly, Vladimir Gundyayev), the head of the ROC, made these comments amid ongoing discussions in Russia about potentially lifting the moratorium on capital punishment for crimes.

“Jesus Christ did not condemn the death penalty, even though he himself unjustly suffered it,” Kirill stated, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

He elaborated by saying that if a person poses a danger to society and cannot “be effectively isolated, they must be eliminated.” 

“The church has never condemned the death penalty if it was carried out according to the law, but, of course, it has never endorsed it either. That is the current response,” he said.

In March, the Russian People’s Council, an organization under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church, declared the full-scale invasion of Ukraine a “holy war,” an initiative that received approval from Patriarch Kirill.

Calls to lift the moratorium on the death penalty, in place since 1996, intensified following the March terrorist attack at Crokus City Hall when more than 100 people were killed when gunmen stormed the complex. 

In June, Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee, proposed reconsidering the death penalty, expressing his support for it. He suggested that a presidential decree could reverse the moratorium without a constitutional amendment.

Additionally, high-profile Russian television propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has also favored reinstating the death penalty, arguing that it would deter military personnel from fleeing the battlefield.

“It’s time to stop deceiving ourselves: if we are at war with NATO, we need to lift the moratorium on the death penalty. I believe the death penalty should return to Russian legislation. It is simply necessary,” he said.