At the WCC meeting, the President of Germany claimed the Russian Orthodox Church was responsible for the war in Ukraine, but the Council refused to exclude the ROC.
On August 31, 2022, the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches began in Karsruhe (Germany), at which in his welcoming speech, President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused the Russian Orthodox Church of violating the rules and supporting the "nationalistic leader of Russia." Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, Patriarchal Exarch for Africa, told about this in his Telegram channel.
"He accused Russia of all mortal sins, including the destruction of the civilian population. He demanded that the delegates of the WCC put pressure on the delegation. <...> ROC, according to Steinmeier, bears full responsibility for supporting the war in Ukraine," Metropolitan Leonid wrote.
"Steinmeier directly demanded a certain position from the ROC delegation. This was public pressure, almost to the point of threats. Well, our Church is used to pressure," noted the Exarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to the acting General Secretary of the WCC, Archpriest John Sauka, the Russian Orthodox Church will not be excluded from the World Council of Churches despite the appeals from the three Churches and "a number of private individuals".