Russian Orthodox priest wary over UK’s ‘judge and jury’ spy attack reaction

The director of inter-orthodox relations for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland spoke before the UK announced it is expelling 23 Russian diplomats in response to the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Speaking with Premier, Fr Joseph Skinner said: “This attempted murder is a criminal and evil action but we should not rush to apportion blame before we know the full facts [and] before there is real proof.”

MPs were also told by Prime Minister Theresa May in the House of Commons that the UK Government and the Royal Family would be boycotting this summer’s World Cup in Russia.

She said the UK has also ended high-level contacts with Russia and that the country was “culpable” for the attack which took place on Sunday 4th March and involved Novichok – a substance developed in Soviet Union.

Russia, which has fiercely opposed the suggestion it was involved in the attack on Mr Skripal, called the expulsion of its diplomats from the UK “unacceptable, unjustified and short-sighted”.

Asked whether he personally felt the UK Government has rushed in its response, Fr Skinner replied: “Yes, the Government’s appointed itself judge and jury.”

Fr Skinner insisted that the Russian Orthodox Church is separate from politics but it prays regularly for “peace of the…