Moscow priest who was removed from post summoned to church court for refusing to recite prayer for ‘Holy Rus’ victory

Archpriest Alexey Uminsky, who was removed from his position at the Moscow Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhly and banned from service, has been summoned to the Moscow Diocesan Court, according to a document published by journalist Ksenia Luchenko.

The document states that Uminsky is accused of “ecclesiastical misconduct related to the refusal to recite the prescribed prayer for Holy Rus during the divine liturgy.”

Patriarch Kirill first read the prayer for “Holy Rus” in September 2022, and it was distributed to Russian Orthodox churches for mandatory use. It includes phrases such as: “Arise, O God, in aid of Your people and grant us victory through Your strength.”

Another Russian priest was banned from service after he replaced the word “victory” with “peace,” and the ecclesiastical court stripped him of his priesthood.

More than 5,000 people have signed an open letter in support of Uminsky, requesting that the decision to ban him from service be reconsidered.