Catholic World News

Leading Russian Orthodox official clarifies remarks in praise of monarchy

July 12, 2017

Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, denied calling for the restoration of the Russian monarchy and said that the Russian Orthodox Church is neutral on the question of the best form of government.

The prelate made his remarks after he praised monarchy in a television interview. During the interview, he said:

My personal opinion is that the form of government where a person is anointed as ruler by the clergy and receives not just a mandate from voters to exercise governing powers for a certain period of time, but a sanction from God, through the Church, to his rule—and the rule is for life, until the monarch passes power to his heir—has proved itself favorably in history. It has many advantages in comparison with any election-based forms of government where a person comes in for some specific term.

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