Chernobyl disaster was 'punishment for state atheism,' according to head of the Russian Orthodox Church

The Chernobyl disaster was God’s punishment for Soviet atheism, according to Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. And he argued that the nuclear catastrophe 25 years ago was a vital step towards rebuilding a society with a role for the church. But his remarks, which echoed the comments of film director and conservative commentator Nikita Mikhalkov following the Japanese earthquake, have enraged some and amused others.

“Sin pushes people into making mistakes, and a terrible mistake caused the Chernobyl disaster,” the Patriarch said after celebrating mass at Kiev’s Pecherskaya monastery.

“The Lord could have stayed the hand of the operator who made a terrible mistake while running the reactor.

“Instead, many people died to atone for the sins of the masses.”