A meeting was held between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The Head of State congratulated the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the seventeenth anniversary of his enthronement.
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Vladimir Putin: Your Holiness, hello!
Patriarch Kirill: Hello,
Vladimir Putin: Congratulations on your enthronement.
Patriarch Kirill: Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: You know, we have often referred to the role that the Russian Orthodox Church has played in the life of Russia throughout its history, in strengthening our people.
But the Patriarch also has many worldly concerns related to managing such a large system, to put it bluntly. Besides serving the Lord and the people, it is necessary to organize all this properly, this work. I would like to mention just this organizational beginning after your enthronement, after you started managing not only the spiritual sphere, but also purely organizational matters. Of course, the life of the Russian Orthodox Church has changed. A lot has been done to strengthen parishes and organizational structures. These are certainly your personal achievements. And this makes it possible to work effectively in the main sphere, the spiritual one.
So thank you very much for that. I congratulate you.
Patriarch Kirill: Thank you very much, Vladimir Vladimirovich.
I would like to thank you too. The way in which Church and state interact, which has developed with your direct participation as President of our country, is, in my opinion, a rather unique case in Christian history, especially in Russia. Everything was fine and prosperous under the tsar-father, but the tsar was the head of the Church, which means that the Church was, strictly speaking, part of the state apparatus.
Therefore, when the revolution took place, the tsar was deposed, which means that persecution was launched against the Church. Then came the hardest years, which were accompanied by persecution of the Church and repression. After all, the Lord had mercy on the Church and on our Orthodox people.
The level of interaction between the Church and the state that is currently in Russia is very, very convincing evidence of the correctness, firstly, of the state's policy towards the Church and, I also think, of the worthy position of the Church in society and the provision of spiritual support to our people.
This, of course, is your great merit. We all greatly appreciate the contribution that you have personally made to this area of church-state relations. I thank you once again for your congratulations and express my appreciation and gratitude for your efforts.
May God help you to continue to work for the glory of the Fatherland and for the benefit of our people.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
This process began under the first President of Russia, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin, and under Patriarch Alexy. And you and I, by the strength of our strength and with the support of the Lord, continue this work.
Patriarch Kirill: Absolutely right.
Vladimir Putin: We will try to continue working in this direction.
Patriarch Kirill: Thank you. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
Photo: Kremlin.ru