Russia never ceases to amaze, but the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church surprise no less. For example, one of them decided to hold a lesson in forgiveness for rape victims, explaining why they are allegedly in danger of hell and why rapists can go to heaven.
It would seem that this is just another senile statement by some unknown Russian priest. However, his statements have much more subtext. A video with the “instructions” of the priest scattered across the network. What is wrong with him – explains Channel 24 .
“The victim did not forgive – to hell” and the context of the war in Ukraine
The Archbishop of Syktyvkar and Komi-Ziryansk ROC Pitirim decided to reflect on the rape and its consequences. And it is no coincidence, because there are numerous cases of violence by Russian invaders against Ukrainian women or even children, and sometimes even men.
And then Pitirim decided to declare that the victim must forgive the rapist, otherwise she will go to hell. Therefore, the priest recommends that the victims work on themselves. Interestingly, Pitirim singles out the rape of people who were in a state of alcohol or drug intoxication and calls them “people of easy virtue.” Apparently, the Russian archbishop simply does not know that a person's use of alcohol or even illegal substances does not equal consent to sexual intercourse .
And yet this is not the main “moral” of all the instructions of this priest. According to him, if the victim does not forgive the rapist, then besides the fact that she suffered, another trouble in the form of hell may still await her. Worst of all in this situation is that the priest began to give an example from the biblical episode, where the thief, crucified along with Jesus Christ, repented and received a place in paradise.
In the context of the war and the actions of the Russian occupiers in Ukraine, Pitirim's words sound like “a Russian soldier can rape a Ukrainian woman, get scared and go to heaven, and a Ukrainian woman who does not forgive the criminal will go to hell.” That's the whole point of the ROC and Russian “strings”.
Archbishop Pitirim and his “reflections” on rape: watch the video
Although such statements are only part of the whole ideology of transferring responsibility from the rapist to the victim. It is often heard that the allegedly abused person somehow “provoked” the rapist, but this is completely untrue.
