"It caused us great pain": More than 5 people signed an open letter asking for the reinstatement of Archpriest Alexei Uminsky, who was suspended from ministry for his anti-war stance.
Collection of signatures continuesThe document is entitled "Open Letter from Members of the Russian Orthodox Church" addressed To Patriarch Kirill asking for the decision to be reviewed. The letter was signed, among others, by parishioners of the Moscow Holy Trinity Church, where the archpriest served.
Uminsky He was suspended in early January amid his anti-war statements. In November 2023, he gave an interview to the former editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy. To Alexey VenediktovWhere said, that “no nation… becomes better from war,” and also advised looking for priests who “do not try too hard… to strengthen the military spirit in the liturgy” and “pray more for peace than for victory.”
The letter states that Uminsky brought a huge number of people to faith, and the ban on his ministry is “a great tragedy for many believers.”
The priest had been providing assistance to the "House with a Lighthouse" hospice for many years. He is known to have advocated for political prisoners, and in 2021, he called on the authorities to allow a doctor to Alexei Navalny, who then went on a hunger strike.
Many of those who signed identified themselves as Orthodox Christians, believers, and parishioners of various churches. Some of them were priests.