Patriarch Kirill bans a priest who said ‘peace’ instead of ‘victory’ during prayer

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow banned Yoann Koval, a cleric in a Moscow church, from services, according to the website of the Moscow eparchy.

According to the Telegram channel Khrisiane Protiv Voiny! (Christians Against the War!), Yoann Koval was banned from services after parishioners denounced him. They noted that the priest replaced the word “victory” with “peace” while reciting the prayer “Holy Rus,” which the Russian Orthodox Church distributed as a mandatory reading in September 2022.

Patriarch Kirill first read the prayer “Holy Rus” in September 2022. It contains the lines, “Arise, o God, to help Your people and give us victory by Your strength,” and “For thou art intercession, and victory, and salvation to those who trust in You and we send glory to You.” It’s unclear which instance of “victory” the priest replaced with “peace.”