Today a colleague sent a news item about a fragment of the True Cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, sinking to the bottom of the Black Sea with the Russian Battleship Moskva.
I cannot tell whether the icon on board the ship had any sliver of wood from the actual “True Cross” as identified in the 4th century CE by Queen Helene, who could be called “the Patron Saint of Middle Eastern Tourism,” due to her frequent identification of relics and holy sites. Nor, if it were, could I tell whether it or any other known sliver of the “True Cross” has wood that is datable to about 2000 years ago. Nor can I tell whether the anonymous trader in Christian relics obtained it legally, or, if it is authentic, should be repatriated to either Israel or the Palestine Authority, depending on your political viewpoint.
BUT–It is hardly surprising that the Russian Orthodox Church has mobilized relics and icons it considers to be of great spiritual value to support the Russky Mir “Russian World” project. After all this not only includes the goal of unifying Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine under Putin’s leadership, but includes the spiritual and ecclesiastical reunification of areas with Russian Orthodox populations within these areas. So the True Cross was not alone: a precious golden icon of the Virgin Mary was sent to a Russian General. (This despite reports that Russians remain not particularly religious).
Patriarch Kirill of All Russia has made great efforts to ensure that there is broad support, at least within the Russian Federation and among those who are supported financially. And Ukrainians who might mention his name in the Prayer for the Patriarch in Sunday Mass, and especially in services this Orthodox Holy Week and upcoming Orthodox Easter, probably won’t.
And the autocephalous (roughly, “autonomous”) Ukrainian Orthodox church recognized by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople a few years ago will probably grow stronger, as more Ukrainians and for that matter other Russian Orthodox repudiate Kirill.
I poked around looking for Holy Icons given to Ukrainian military, could not find any reports; they are of course too busy doing their best to resist the Russian invasion.
I also have been tracking (nominal) Muslim involvement. As far as I can tell, many Crimean Tatars fled Crimea when the Russians annexed it, considering this a renewed exodus, recalling Stalin’s population transfers. They are no fans of Putin. However, Chechens, who resisted Russia a generation ago (and whose capital city Grozny was devastated in 2000), and Syrians typically have been fighting on the Russian side.
A number of Middle Eastern countries, however, are hesitant to denounce Russia or to fully support Ukraine. Notably, are two leaders who have been identified as religious: Turkey’s Erdogan is a religious Muslim, and Israel’s Bennet is a National Religious Jew; both leaders have been attempting to mediate or at least facilitate talks aimed at ending hostilities (and to avoid enraging Russia). Israel also has sizable populations of individuals who are proud to trace their heritage to Russia or Ukraine, and is careful to avoid inflaming one or the other.
Here’s the article I was sent:
Coffeecups 