ШВЕДСКА ГО ПРЕКИНУВА ВЛАДИНОТО ФИНАНСИРАЊЕ НА РУСКАТА ЦРКВА ВО ШВЕДСКА ПОРАДИ ШПИОНАЖА

The Swedish government has decided to stop the funding for the Russian Orthodox Church outpost operating in Sweden amid fears that this church has been used for espionage. The decision affects the state aid grants available to religious and faith communities in Sweden for 2024.

The Swedish Agency for Support for Faith Communities, which is a government agency that (among other things) provides state aid to religious communities, stated that it would stop the funding available for the ROC (which in Sweden operates under the name Moscow Patriarchate- Moskvapatriarkatet). It concluded that ROC in Sweden does not contribute to the strengthening of Sweden’s social fabric and is not compatible with the country’s democratic standards and practices. In 2022, the church receivedaround 18000 EUR from the Swedish state.

According to the agency’s press release, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the prominent role of the Russian Orthodox Church in sanctifying the war, the agency has engaged in dialogue with the ROC representatives in the country to assess their position on the war in Ukraine. The Swedish Agency for Support for Faith Communities reported that ROC representatives it talked to did not support the war in Ukraine.The agency, however, requested a separate assessment by the Swedish security service (known as Sapo), which proved to be alarming. Sapo has said that itbelievedthat the Moscow Patriarchate has been used “as a platform for gathering intelligence and other security-threatening activities.”

The Swedish security agency has stated that the Moscow Patriarchate representatives have been in contact with “persons who work for the Russian security and intelligence”, adding that the church has also been a beneficiary of repeated “significant funding from the Russian state”.