Religious Freedom: Kyiv vs Moscow

"It's definitely part of a calculated plan. It's a narrative drawn from the 19th century, not the Soviet period. This is a narrative building upon Russian nationalism that is rooted in Orthodoxy."
"In Putin's Russia, we're seeing again the using of these older constructs within Russian political society and Russian history to advance Russian aims."
"This has been used in the past as an administrative form of persecution. As it has happened through a lot of its history, the Russian Orthodox Church is allowing itself to be co-opted and is being co-opted by the state, the Russians, to advance Russia's interests."
Andrew Bennett, Canada's religious freedom ambassador, Ottawa

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill (L) congratulates Russian President Vladimir Putin during a service for the celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Moscow, early on April 20, 2014
According to Andrew Bennett, shortly en route to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is orchestrating the persecution of Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Muslim Tatars, which in effect would nicely align him with the Islamic State terrorists. Of course Mr. Putin would disagree strongly with that interpretation of his machinations, but the parallels are striking. Mr. Putin is the man who persuaded the gullible president of the United States of the efficacy of diplomacy.

To jaw, as Winston Churchill famously observed, is superior to waging war. But even Winston Churchill saw the utility in steadfastly holding to his values and accepting that the world would be ruled by a vicious fascist totalitarian government if he allowed his country not to respond. President Obama was persuaded to overlook Syria's President's gruesome killing machine directed at his civilian population; clearly he had been unimpressed with the R2P doctrine of the United Nations.

Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, is at war with just about everyone; in particular Muslims that he feels threaten Russia's imperial rule. And former Soviet states that no longer have any wish -- not that they ever did -- to be trapped within Russia's greater-geographic orbit. Russia isn't particularly fond of America, and absolutely detests NATO, and doesn't think all that much of Canada whose inconvenient claims to parts of the Arctic that Russia also claims enrages him.

The Church of St. Andrew in Kiev, the patriarchal cathedral of the UAPC

The Russian president is at war with journalists with an independent frame of mind, and doesn't the least bit mind when something dreadful happens to them; not his fault. And he's become accustomed to getting his way; in Georgia, in Ukraine, and enjoys no end terrorizing the Baltic states, quivering with fear that what happened in both those countries is destined to happen as well in theirs.

And if he's gotten wind of the Canadian government's assistance directed at promoting religious freedom, democratic development and inter-faith tolerance with a mission upcoming to Ukraine in the near future, he'll be rather unimpressed with a side helping of apoplexy. Through a package of Canadian government assistance, geared to highlighting Russia's intolerance, Canada will be assured of garnering further Kremlin animosity.

Mr. Bennett explains the measures to be aimed at mitigating the effects of Vladimir Putin's agenda, accusing him of systematically targeting Christian groups in eastern Ukraine where, he says, pro-Russian militias are active in persecuting them, along with Muslim Tatars in Crimea. Moreover, he says, Russian forces have kidnapped priests, detained nuns, fire-bombed churches and intimidated worshippers.

A full shopping list of wretchedly nasty shenanigans perpetrated by a wretchedly nasty autocrat practising to upgrade to the status of dictator. In particular, explains Mr. Bennett, Russian forces target the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, part of a plan by Mr. Putin to highlight the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Something akin, say, to Muslim claiming that Islam supercedes all other religions; it is perfect while they are flawed.

There are credible reports, states Mr. Bennett, that Moscow plans for all religious communities in Russian-annexed Crimea to register as they must do in Russia. That would enable the targeting of Muslim Tartars, and could be used against Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox groups, with a particular target being the Kyivan Patriarchate in eastern Ukraine which the Moscow Patriarchate considers a breakaway sect.

On his Ukraine trip, Mr. Bennett plans to meet those who will benefit from Canadian support relating to specific projects. Such projects to be aimed at "broadening religious dialogue between the different religious communities in the country, working with youth to make the links around religious freedom, democratic development, the role of religion and religious communities within society", he explained.

One never knows how the volatile Vladimir Putin may react to this from-afar interfering overture; seeing it as a provocation, or slyly defanging the mission by inviting Mr. Bennett to Moscow to discuss the issue, lending it a sympathetic ear and promises to cooperate...?