A Photo Essay: A Tale of Two Patriarchs… Tuesday in Moscow

Fr Andrei Sommer with ROCOR youth group in Moscow on 24 May 2010, at the Days of Slavic Culture celebration

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A Russian youth group at the Days of Slavic Culture celebration

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Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias (1946- ) speaking at the opening of the gala concert at the State Kremlin Palace on Monday evening, 24 May 2010

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Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias (1946- ) speaking at the opening of the gala concert at the State Kremlin Palace on Monday evening, 24 May 2010

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Gala concert at the State Kremlin Palace on Monday evening, 24 May 2010

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Gala concert at the State Kremlin Palace on Monday evening, 24 May 2010

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President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- ) greets Patriarch Bartholomew Archontonis (1940- ) and Patriarch Kirill

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President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- ) meeting with Patriarchs Bartholomew and Kirill

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President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- ) gives a tour of his official offices to Patriarchs Bartholomew and Kirill

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Patriarch Kirill before the opening of the VRNS meeting on Tuesday night, with First Lady Svetlana Medvedeva (1965- )

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Opening of the VRNS meeting on Tuesday night

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Head Table at the VRNS meeting on Tuesday night, note well that the only other church personality on the dais is Metropolitan Filaret Vakhromeyev of Minsk… or, is it Metropolitan Yuvenaly Poyarkov? (the Boy Wonder is nowhere to be seen…)

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First Lady Svetlana Medvedeva addresses the VRNS assembly

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Fr Vsevolod Chaplin (1968- ), a VERY close confidant of KMG, also a close friend of Vladimir Putin

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Patriarch Kirill addresses the VRNS assembly

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“A picture is worth a thousand words”… these pictures (and those of the last few days) reveal a muted reception for Bart. It is VERY low-key, indeed. He is NOT being treated as a “first amongst equals”, he is being treated as an “equal amongst equals”. He is paying for his stupid remarks attacking the Russian Church and government of the past few years. This won’t help relations in the long run. This is an armistice between two rivals… why? I don’t pretend to know. I can only show you what the Russian press has on offer. Draw your own conclusions.

BMD

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