Watch: Putin vs. the Priest: A Big Story About a Small Sermon
The Opinion video above tells the story of Father Ioann Burdin, a priest with the Russian Orthodox
Church who ran afoul of his government soon after Russia invaded Ukraine.
His crime? Well, we don’t want to spoil the plot for you. Suffice it to say, Father Ioann’s tale shows the hazards of following your moral compass in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. (He’s still paying the price.)
The story also explores the often tragic absurdity of the modern Russian state, something that Father Ioann, in our conversations with him, described with a wryness and wit that informed our telling of his story.