Is it possible that the Orthodox Patriarch in Moscow might take courage from his Ukrainian brothers and raise his voice against the depredations of Putin? There are few Russian voices who can plausibly claim to speak for Mother Russia. Putin has usurped that role for himself; the Patriarch has the pulpit and the cultural standing to challenge him. To date, the Russian Orthodox have not done so in the crisis in Ukraine. To the contrary, the Patriarch’s spokesman has been reinforcing, rather than challenging, Putin’s imperial rhetoric.
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