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PUTIN Moscow mass banner.JPG
Reuters
PUTIN Moscow mass.JPG
Reuters
World News

Russia's Putin attends midnight Orthodox Easter service in Moscow

by Reuters Journalist

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday attended an Easter service conducted by the Russian Orthodox Church, which has strongly backed the Kremlin leader's decision to invade Ukraine.

Putin, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and dark purple tie, stood to one side in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral, holding a lit red candle, live images of the midnight service showed. He also attended last year.

The Russian leader crossed himself several times during the ceremony, known as the Divine Liturgy. When Patriarch Kirill announced "Christ has risen", Putin joined the other members of the congregation with the reply "Truly he is risen". He otherwise did not speak.

Kirill's statements backing Russia's invasion, which Kyiv and Western nations condemn as an act of aggression, have splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church.

In January, Putin praised the church for supporting Moscow's forces fighting in Ukraine in an Orthodox Christmas message designed to rally people behind his vision of modern Russia.

Previously, Putin has publicly expressed his adherence to the Russian Orthodox Church and its beliefs

His association with the Orthodox Church is thought to have helped strengthen its influence and resurgence in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union, however many suggest his public displays of faith may be politically motivated.

 

(Additional reporting by Premier Christian News) 

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