Russian church leader appears to blame Gay Pride Parades for Ukraine war

The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church appeared to blame liberal Western values — drawing particular attention to gay pride parades — for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his Sunday sermon.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the deadly “special operation” in Ukraine on Feb. 24 to “demilitarize and denazify” the pro-Western country after recognizing eastern Ukraine's two breakaway territories as independent republics. 

But Patriarch Kirill said the war is about “which side of God humanity will be on” in the divide between supporters of gay pride events — or the Western governments that allow them — and their opponents in Russian-backed eastern Ukraine. 

“Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior. That's why in order to join the club of those countries, you have to have a gay pride parade,” he said in his Forgiveness Sunday sermon. 

The Russian church leader characterized gay pride parades as a “loyalty test” to Western governments, which Ukraine’s breakaway republics have “fundamentally rejected.”

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