Cardinal Marx Condemns Religious Justification of War & Warns of Anti-Liberal Trends

MUNICH – Cardinal Reinhard Marx has condemned statements made by the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill I, as “heresy,” sharply criticizing the religious justification of the war in Ukraine. The remarks came during a panel discussion Wednesday evening at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, held as part of the third theological peace symposium coinciding with the Munich Security Conference.

Marx, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, lamented a global trend of religious leaders seeking proximity to power, arguing that religion’s role should be to stand with the vulnerable and the victims of conflict. “Religion must not stand on the side of the powerful, but must stand on the side of the weak and the victims,” he stated, according to a report from the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

The cardinal also cautioned against hubris in claiming truth, emphasizing the importance of humility. “We do not possess the truth. Every human being is an image of God, we are all brothers and sisters,” he said.

Marx expressed concern over ideological parallels between Russian propaganda and certain currents within US political discourse, identifying growing antiliberal tendencies that undermine freedom and solidarity. He urged Europe to reaffirm its shared values, calling for “a renewal of our position, our ideas, and a consensus on our common values.”

The discussion took place within the framework of the symposium “Moral and Religious Dimension of Security,” jointly organized by Ludwig Maximilian University, the Ukrainian Catholic University Lviv, and the University of Notre Dame (USA). Participants included historian Karl Schlögel, a recipient of the Peace Prize, and Ukrainian human rights activist Maksym Butkevych, who was awarded the Václav Havel Prize in 2025. Experts Katrin Boeck and Regina Elsner, along with Polish Ambassador Jan Tombiński, also participated in a debate concerning the “dissolution of truth” in Russia’s hybrid warfare.

Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly voiced support for the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, characterizing the war in Ukraine as a “holy war.” Several nations have imposed sanctions on Kirill for his perceived role as a key ally of Putin in supporting the conflict, as reported by the German Catholic news agency KNA.