Russian Orthodox congregation in Amsterdam has separated from Moscow Patriarch Kirill over Ukraine invasion. The congregation in the Netherlands is seeking to leave the Russian Orthodox Church in opposition to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow’s support for the invasion of Ukraine. They filed a request for “canonical dismissal”
The Russian Orthodox Parish of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam posted on its Facebook page stating that “the clergy unanimously announced that it is no longer possible for them to function within the Moscow Patriarchate and provide a spiritually safe environment for our faithful.”
“There will be no services in the church in the period leading up to the General Parish Meeting,” stated the parish council. “This is due not only to concerns of safety, but also to pastoral considerations: in this extremely tense situation, it would be virtually impossible to achieve the prayerful atmosphere we strive for during services.”
According to Nederlands Dagblad, priests and a deacon affiliated with the congregation wrote to Archbishop Elisey, who oversees the diocese of The Hague and the Netherlands of the Russian Orthodox Church, to state that they would not mention Patriarch Kirill’s name during their Divine Liturgy celebrations because of his comments in support of the invasion.
Kirill described Russia’s opponents as “evil forces” during a sermon on February 27 2022. The church’s leaders had signed a petition calling on Kirill to condemn the invasion.