MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Relations between the Church and the government in the modern Russia are unique and "such harmony in respect to secular and clerical" matters has never been seen before, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said after Wednesday’s liturgy in the Christ the Savior Cathedral, on the 14th anniversary of his enthronement to the Patriarch’s see.
"The Russian Orthodox Church exists under unique conditions at the moment. There is indeed harmony in relation to secular and church [matters] with full preservation of autonomy, non-interference, and at the same time with a general awareness of the importance of interaction between all forces of society, the state and church in order for our country to continue on its course truly independent from the centers of world power, which it is courageously pursuing," the Patriarch said.