A strong patriarch, Kirill Gundyaev (1946- ), and a strong “tsar”, President Vladimir Putin (1952- ), share the stage at the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow at the return of the Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God “of Iveron”. Rarely does such a combination exist… a strong patriarch with a strong “monarch”. Holy Rus and Holy Orthodoxy are on the cusp of great things…
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On Sunday, as tens of thousands of people gathered to protest against his rule at a rally in downtown Moscow, President-elect Vladimir Putin took part in a ceremony to hand over an ancient icon to the Church. Putin, who will be sworn in as Russian president on Monday, handed over an ancient copy of the Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God “of Iveron” that was previously kept at the State Historical Museum to the Novodevichy Convent in central Moscow. The icon came to Russia from Mount Athos in Greece in 1648. Putin said, “Let it [the icon] serve and help the people”, in praising the role of the Orthodox Church in Russian society and culture. After the ceremony, which Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias also attended, Putin visited the church of St Vladimir, his patron saint.
6 May 2012
RIA-Novosti
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