Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, congratulates His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia with the 45-year anniversary of pontifical conservation in the Christ the Savior Cathedral.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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Putin Speaks About Beslan
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin visited Christ the Savior Cathedral Sunday to congratulate His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia with the 45-year anniversary of pontifical consecration and to speak about Beslan bloodshed.
The Christ the Savior Cathedral, Moscow, hosted yesterday hierarchs of Russian Orthodox Church, more or less ordinary churchmen and a few celebrities of the secular world. The reason of that get-together was the 45-year anniversary of pontifical consecration of Alexy II.
The lights were off in the conference hall of the temple. In the semi-darkness, the off-screen voice of off-seen patriarch was telling the crowd about the path of Alexy II. The milestone, the voice said, was the talk of the late Patriarch Pimen with Mikhail Gorbachev, then the president of yet existing Soviet Union. Pimen said the church was backing up the foreign course pursued by Gorbachev, while the president urged the clergy to think about domestic policy of the state (as if calling for another approval in addition to foreign activities).
In two months after that outstanding conversation, Alexy came up with a program for Russian Orthodox Church made out with regard to the new environment. Pimen perished quite soon, and on May 3, 1990, Alexy was elected the Patriarch of All Russia. “It was the first really independent election to this post, with no interference or intrigues of the state power.”
“It has occurred. I have become the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,” the voice said followed by a stormy applause of the audience.
It was not Alexy II but President Putin that appeared to the applause, taking a seat in the first row, near the Culture Minister Alexander Sokolov, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and one of the hierarchs.
Putin’s felicitation didn’t last long but meant a lot. Today, the Russian Orthodox Church “helps the state tackle pressing social problems, plays a vital part in upbringing of youth, upbringing in the spirit of patriotism, justice, adherence to family values,” Putin said. The president appeared to view the church not as a body independent from the state in Russia but as a certain substitute for the former pioneer organization.
Moreover, Sunday was the second anniversary of Beslan bloodshed and the president had to mention it somewhere yesterday. The Christ the Savior Cathedral was the best place to do it. Putin said “killing of women and children innocent of any crime shook not only all our country but also the whole world. And this tragedy, the inconsolable grief of the parents, who had lost the most precious, their children, will be our common pain for ever,” Putin said trying not to peep into the written text but unable to tear himself away from it.
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All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 04, 2006
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