Svetlana and Dmitry Medvedevs and Vladimir and Lyudmila Putins, from left to right, appeared in the cathedral when Alexis II was walking around it in the Sacred Procession.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Presidents Celebrated Sacred Procession
The Orthodox Christians celebrated the Resurrection at night from Saturday to Sunday. In line with tradition, the main Easter Service was held in Christ the Savior Cathedral. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Dmitry Medvedev duly attended the event. His Holiness Patriarch Alexis II thanked Putin for eight years of presidency and promised to pray for the country’s leadership henceforth.
Orthodox Christians got the chance to celebrate the main holiday together with the Patriarch if they had special invitations distributed in the Christ the Savior Cathedral the day before. The cathedral has enough room for more than 5,000 believers, who started to fill it an hour before the beginning of Divine Service. Big numbers of FSB officers signaled to the faithful that President Vladimir Putin would attend the event.
Accompanied by spouses, President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Dmitry Medvedev appeared when Patriarch and a few high-ranked guests were walking around the cathedral in the Sacred Procession. The presidents took seats in the Solea to the general pleasure of believers, who set to taking the cell-phone photos of them.
“We are grateful to you Vladimir Vladimirovich for all eight years of presidency. You have done so much for Russia,” Alexis II told Putin after the morning prayer, mentioning, of course, that the new president will continue Putin’s course with honor. “You both have ahead the heavy feat of servicing your homeland, your people,” the Patriarch said. “The church will be praying for you, begging the God to give your strength to overcome all difficulties.”
The Patriarch and the presidents left for Altar afterwards, where Alexis II presented the Easter Eggs to them.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 28, 2008
|
|
|
