Russians today live in a "time of great prosperity" because Vladimir Putin is "the first Orthodox president since tsarist times". This was stated by Russian Patriarch Kirill during a sermon at the "St. Vladimir the Great" church in the Krylatskoye district of Moscow, quoted by the Moscow Times.
In his words, Putin is truly "a gift from God" and therefore Russians should be grateful "for the country in which they live, for the government and, of course, for everything that Russia is doing today".
Kirill called on citizens "to work for the good of the Church and the Fatherland" and to guard against "temptations imposed by the country's ill-wishers" who are trying to divert Russians "from the remarkable path of civilizational development".
According to him, in this way Russia will avoid "huge problems" that the "scientifically, technologically and financially developed West" faces.
"We will not judge anyone, but the spiritual and moral crisis of this society is completely obvious," he said, and according to him, a society built solely on science, technology and capital, "can hardly make people happy.".
This is not the first time that Patriarch Kirill has described President Vladimir Putin as "an example of a good Christian" and called on believers to pray for the Russian leader.