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On Thursday, Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev said that Russia would crumble without the Orthodox Church, which is why the country’s enemies always target it. The sermon appeared to be an implicit reply to the criticism of the Church by liberal {“conservative” in the Anglosphere sense: editor} media and educated urbanites sparked by its support of the Kremlin during the presidential elections in March. In a sermon in a Moscow cathedral, Kirill said, “The Church maintains the unity of our Motherland. Destruction of the Church would immediately ruin our Motherland. The Church was a prime target for foreign invaders, including the Poles in the 17th century, Napoleon in the 19th century, and the Nazis in World War II”.
Opinion in Russian society concerning the most influential religious body in the country became polarised after Kirill endorsed Vladimir Putin for president last winter, alienating supporters of the opposition. Scandals involving Kirill aggravated the situation, including allegations that Kirill owns a posh apartment in downtown Moscow and sports expensive wristwatches. The story of Pussy Riot sparked further controversy. Members of the feminist punk group are under arrest and face jail terms for performing an anti-Kremlin “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow’s largest church, in February. Repeatedly, leading church figures endorsed prosecution for the group members, although Kirill hasn’t spoken on the topic.
The church held a nationwide prayer action that attracted tens of thousands in April, with Kirill saying the current attacks on the church were more dangerous than any trouble it faced in the past, including the brutal crackdown on religion by the Bolsheviks. According to a nationwide study by independent pollster Sreda from 2011, the latest poll available, about 42 percent of the Russian populace identified themselves as Orthodox Christians. However, religion analysts warned the figure could decrease following the recent scandals.
28 June 2012
RIA-Novosti
