Orthodox church threatens rich Russians with hell

Rich Russians who refuse to share their wealth with people in need are on their way to hell, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has warned.

Wealth is only justified when the person who owns it “is ready to give a significant part of his funds to those who are in need, who suffer,” Patriarch Kirill said during his Sunday service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

In this case, “the God will be helping him to increase his material possessions,” while the people won’t envy those riches and won’t see their owner as “an enemy,” he insisted. 

“May God grant that our [Russian] rich people, who were born in an Orthodox country and many of whom have links with the Church, always understand this,” the Patriarch said.

But if a person with a lot of money is unable to help those who need it, then “this is the way to hell and there’s nothing else to say here,” Kirill explained.

He cited words of Jesus from the Bible, who said that “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

“If a rich person is unable to see the suffering of a fellow human being and doesn’t help, it’s clearly a path away from God, away from Christ and his kingdom. The more money one has, the more responsibility rests on his shoulders for his earthly existence,” the church leader told worshippers.