A Toronto priest is facing criticism for accepting a medal from Vladimir Putin last week as the Russian president is waging a war on Ukraine that has killed thousands of civilians.
At a ceremony at the Kremlin on Nov. 4, Putin presented the Order of Friendship to Father Vladimir Malchenko, head priest at Toronto’s Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church.
A video of the event obtained by Global News shows Malchenko striding onto a stage to greet Putin, who shakes the priest’s hand and pins the Russian state honour onto his frock.
Putin commended Malchenko for helping Canadian “parishioners maintain their connection with their historical homeland.” Malchenko’s acceptance speech lauded the “Fatherland.”
The awards ceremony took place on Russia’s National Unity Day. In his remarks praising Malchenko, Putin also celebrated Russian troops he said were “bravely” fighting in Ukraine.
Reached by phone this week, Malchenko said he had no regrets about being honoured by Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes for the abduction of Ukrainian children.
“I don’t look at it as a political act. It’s an act of recognition of our pastoral duties here in Canada,” Malchenko told Global News after returning to Toronto from Moscow.
“And our community is very grateful that there’s been a certain amount of recognition of our work here to comfort people’s lives in Canada,” said Malchenko.
But the Ukrainian Canadian Congress said it was “disgraceful” that the Canadian priest had accepted a medal from the Russian leader as he continues to attack his neighbours.
Two days before Malchenko exchanged pleasantries with Putin, Russia bombed a school in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region that was used as a humanitarian hub, killing more than 50 people.
“This is a textbook case of moral hypocrisy unbecoming of an individual who purports to promote Christian teaching,” said Danylo Korbabicz, CEO of the Canadian Ukrainian group.
The Order of Friendship is awarded for “outstanding contributions to strengthening friendship” and “fostering peace and friendly relations among countries.”
Past recipients include pro-Russia actor Steven Seagal and former prime minister Jean Chretien, but that was before Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in 2014.
Following Russia’s 2022 assault on Kyiv, Canada placed Putin on its Russia sanctions list, citing his “grave breach of international peace and security.”
Also sanction was Kirill, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church and a cheerleader of Putin’s attack on Ukraine, which he has deemed a “holy war.”
In his comments to Global News, Malchenko said his Toronto church was “above politics,” did not support any wars and was “greatly” concerned about the human suffering caused by armed conflicts.
But he said he didn’t raise the war in Ukraine with Putin at the medal ceremony. “No, it really wasn’t time for a conversation,” he explained.
He characterized his award as recognition for “fulfilling our Christian duties in Canada,” and said the church was apolitical. “We never talk about the war,” he said.
However, the church’s website links to Russian online platforms that parrot the claim that Ukraine is an “imaginary country” and Ukrainians are “imaginary” people.
The links, which also claim there is “no such thing” as Ukraine, are in line with Russian propaganda that aims to justify Putin’s military campaign.
Malchenko’s church is a registered charity that receives government tax breaks. In 2012, the Conservative government awarded him the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
In his brief acceptance speech, Malchenko said that Russians lived “in all cities, in all countries of this world. But we have one Fatherland. Russia, Holy Rus.”
“And may the Lord God bless our beloved Fatherland. May He bless it with prosperity and well-being forever.”
Putin’s speech harkened back to past wars that he said “drove invaders” out of what he called Russia’s “native lands.”
“Today our fighters are just as bravely defending Russia’s interests and our statehood as part of the special military operation,” he said, using his term for the Ukraine war.
Malchenko’s visit to the Kremlin came at a time of some of the worst atrocities of Putin’s attempt to use his military might to turn Ukraine into a vassal of Moscow.
The night before Russia’s deadly attack on a school in Zaporizhzhia, a hospital complex was struck, injuring at least 73, while the bombing of a hospice in Dnipro forced the evacuation of dozens of terminally ill and elderly patients.
On Wednesday, Canada joined its G7 allies in condemning Putin’s attacks on “residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, and cultural heritage.”
Global Affairs Canada did not respond to requests for comment about the matter.
