Russian Orthodox church confirms world summit for persecuted Christians in October in Co-op with Rev. Billy Graham.

Moscow Patriarchate confirms world summit for persecuted Christians in October in Co-op with Billy Graham. (AN).

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) will organize a great Christian leaders summit in Moscow, October 28 to 30, whose theme will be persecution in the world. The meeting should bring about a thousand delegates from 150 countries to the Russian capital.

According to the spokesman of the Moscow Patriarchate, quoted by Interfax-Religion,

"the reason to hold an event of this magnitude is the mass persecution, unprecedented in modern history, comparable to the persecution of Christians in the early centuries and mass repression by atheistic authorities in the twentieth century".

As first revealed to AsiaNews by the nuncio in Moscow, Msgr. Ivan Jurkovic, there should also be a large Catholic participation, with hundreds of delegates. The BGEA was founded by the preacher Bill Graham in the United States over 50 years ago.

The current leader of the association is the famous preacher’s son, Franklin, who is also head of the charity Samaritan's Purse.


In the spring and summer of 2015, the Moscow Patriarchate and the two organizations have jointly implemented a project in southern Russia to help refugees from Ukraine and Eastern Europe. In this area, over 63,000 kits were distributed that included food, hygiene items, sheets, stationery for school and children's toys, reports Interfax.

Franklin Graham is close to the head of the department for external relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion. 

Moscow Patriarchate, "fires" Archpriest Chaplin.

Moscow Patriarchate, "fires" Archpriest Chaplin. (AN).

After clashing with the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin  has been removed from his post as head of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society, by decision of the Synod on December 24th .  According to the representative of the Russian Church, his dismissal is related to differences in positions with the Orthodox primate.

Speaking to Interfax-Religion, Fr. Chaplin said:

“I have been trying to tell his Holiness that the tone in the relations with the state that the Church tends to take is wrong, we should be more critical about the immoral and unjust actions by the authorities, we should be more direct when speaking to society, we should in no case suck up to structures that challenge Orthodox faith so clearly as the current administration of Ukraine. We should generally prophesize, not think every time as to who will think and say what, and we should not be afraid of getting into a conflict with those who have power in this world".

The second area in which Father Vsevolod has major differences with Patriarch Kirill is the current church administration. "Many decisions are made unsystematically, without consultations with the relevant synodal establishments, in the lobby, in haste. One can't do that. A system that works in this way is sure to make mistakes," the priest said. He also said he has warned people about that many times, but was not heard”.

According to Russian media, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on Thursday founded the Department on Liaison between the Church, Society and the Mass Media. This decision was made "to optimize the work and increase effectiveness, and also to rule our parallel processes in the work of synodal establishments." The new structure is led by Vladimir Legoyda, the head of the Synodal Information Department.

"I think the amount of work that was actually done in the department that I created and led is unprecedented in our Church - said Chaplin - I'm happy to get a breath of fresh air".

Describing himself as a free man now, the priest says he is convinced that no one will take its defenses in the Church and that it is unclear what future awaits him within the structures of the Patriarchate "But I am not holding on to anything and I do not expect anything, "concludes speaking to Interfax.

Recently, the editor of the Moscow Patriarchate’s magazine, Serghei Chapnin, has denounced the "new silence" that Patriarch Kirill has forced upon the Russian Church. "In the public space only one voice is heard, that of Patriarch Kirill," wrote Chapnin, noting that "all others mostly silent, are not allowed to make detailed statements, only brief comments". The journalist was fired a few days later. Hmmm.....Welcome to the good old Communist Orthodox Church.

Russia, Jewish Torah texts with "extremist content" confiscated from a school.

Source picture.

Russia, Jewish Torah texts with "extremist content" confiscated from a school. (AN).

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Yekaterinburg prosecutor's office, has confiscated a number of Jewish sacred texts (Tanakh), from a Jewish high school including the Torah, because deemed to contain extremist content.

Meduza news website reported the news, quoting a Jewish community activist who spoke with Kursor newspaper. The activist points out that the books were confiscated at the end of Mays and results of the investigation have yet to be released.

A year ago, the same school - linked to the Jewish 'Ohr Avner' center - had been under threat of closure, after an inspection launched by the local prosecutor together with Rosobrnadzor, the federal agency that monitors education.

The authorities then had registered a number of violations, including failure to comply with national education standards. Earlier, a court in Yekaterinburg had decided that the school had to pay for many years of rent arrears. The school maintains that they have the right to use the property for free because they had undertaken renovations of the building.

According to the Newsru website, the authorities have decided "turn from administrative violations to ideological issues", with the accusations of extremism.

"None of the books confiscated are on the federal list of books banned for extremism", denounced a school administrator to the site Politsovet, who believes the sacred texts are not under inspection rather some study manuals.

So far the Prosecutor of the Sverdlovsk region, which includes Ekaterinburg, has declined to comment on the reports.

In 2013, the Commission for Inter-Ethnic Relations and Freedom of Conscience at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation discussed a proposal to be sent to the Russian Prosecutor General's Office to improve controls on extremist religious literature.

The same proposal also suggested "protecting" the sacred texts of traditional religions from such controls. Experts are concerned that, during inspections, there are no consultations with religious scholars and religious communities. As a result it is impossible to adequately assess, on the basis of language and of modern legal thought, texts written many years ago and with specific religious significance.

The prosecution’s investigation of the Jewish community has also focused on the 'Hesed' center in Novgorod, where every Sunday members of the Jewish community of the city meet to study Hebrew.

On June 1, the participants in the meeting were forced to present their ID  to representatives of the public prosecutor, who arrived unannounced on-site and without explanations for an inspection. Hmmm....Next they'll say 9/11 was carried out by people shouting 'Mazzle Tov'?

"A Man with A Vision" - Dep PM Dimitry Rogozin pledges support for ‘ultrapatriotic’ party

"A Man with A Vision" - Dep PM Dimitry Rogozin pledges support for ‘ultrapatriotic’ party. (RT).
“It is very desirable that the patriots have a significant representation in the parliament, not just a few seats,” Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with Rosinformburo news agency. He noted that the best candidate for this is the Motherland Party.

Rogozin was among the founders of Motherland when it was created in 2003 and also helped to re-register the party in 2012. In 2006, Motherland dissolved and its members joined center-left party Fair Russia in order to maintain representation under changed circumstances. It was registered as an independent party again after the introduction of the new law that allowed for existence of smaller independent political projects.

The 2016 parliamentary elections are a good chance to add some fresh forces and fresh blood to the State Duma ranks, Rogozin noted in the interview adding that a lot of people were dreaming of such turn and a lot would benefit from it.

As the patriotic nationalist party makes a claim for parliamentary seats it should concentrate on the fight against corruption, the deputy PM holds. Rogozin added that the Motherland is a large organization, a ‘sleeping giant’ and can easily switch from opposition work to cooperation with parliamentary majority party, United Russia.

Rogozin also said that in his view United Russia suffered from large number of insincere members who only used it as a means to get power and benefits, acknowledging that political power attracted all kinds of people in great numbers. He criticized other parliamentary parties too – for “remaining in their political trenches and keeping the same image for too long.”

Russian political experts were skeptical about Rogozin’s plan. Mikhail Vinogradov of the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation told the business daily Kommersant the all parliamentary parties were already using ‘patriotic’ rhetoric and Motherland would have some tough time to prove its worth.

Aleksandr Kynev of the Foundation for Development of Information policy questioned the value of Rogozin’s support for Motherland, saying that the government’s position made the former Motherland boss dependent on other people’s decisions.

In mid-2013 a group of experts attached to the Russian Public Chamber conducted a public opinion research and forecasted that nationalists could get about 10 percent of seats at the 2016 parliamentary poll.

 Before that, the Levada Public Opinion Center released a report that demonstrated that the non-existent ‘Nationalist Party’ ranked second in popularity among Russians, losing only to the centrist-conservative United Russia.Hmmm.....Dep PM Rogozin is a man to be reckoned with

Video - "What's your Jihad?" - Muslim shouts 'Allah Akhbar on roof of the Orthodox Church in Moscow on Red Square.

The Russian video title reads:“Monkey” on the roof of the temple, on the Red Square.

"What's your Jihad?" - Muslim shouts 'Allah Akhbar on roof of the Orthodox Church in Moscow on Red Square.HT: Tundra Tabloids.

Video - Pres Putin on cultural self preservation and Christian traditions.

Video - Pres Putin on cultural self preservation and Christian traditions.Sigh.....Боже мой Что делать?

Pravda: US threatened by Russia's Orthodox Christianity.

US threatened by Russia's Orthodox Christianity. (Pravda).By Xavier Lerma.

If you ever wonder why the weasel west media always calls Putin a dictator or demonizes him, just look at what has been happening recently. By watching the US news last week one would think all of America has turned gay with the Supreme Court ruling on married same-sex couples. The New York Times called it a, "major victories for the gay rights movement". Some even compare it to racial equality. 
If Putin was the dictator the West claims, the new law that defends Christianity would have been in effect immediately after the pussy riot blasphemy which happened last year. Recently President Putin signed a 'gay propaganda' ban and law criminalizing insult of religious feelings.

Oddly enough the West is the only place where some Christian leaders are gay. Their Christian churches omit certain biblical teachings against homosexuality. Yes, Russia's Christianity and anyone who defends it rain on the gay parade and their upside down world. In the past they demonized Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and ridiculed Christians in America as crazed right-wingers. They danced when President Reagan, Jerry Falwell and Charlton Heston died. There is no longer a real powerful conservative in the West the liberals fear.

In the East there is someone that causes the western liberal's maniacal laughter to stop. Vladimir Putin. He has real world power, which causes the liberal media to fearfully ignore or warp his image. Like a good Christian King he leads a nation to Christ. Deep down in their evil souls they shriek like devils because they know Christ is true God and true power that they cannot defeat. They thought the Bolshevik revolution destroyed Holy Mother Russia. Christ cannot be defeated and his servant Putin has welcomed Christ and His church.

Conservative Americans have written thanking me for my articles since their media and government ignores them. They tell me most of America is Christian and they support Putin.

Tony Smyles wrote, "I wish you would come to the US and become head of our major news outlets CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN. Our journalists are, to a man, in lock-step with Obama, having drunk deeply from his pig's trough of Kool-Aid."

The fact that Putin allows Christianity is an AMAZING thing, while Christians, true ones, are persecuted in anti christ America. - Robert

Putin has encouraged the nation of Russia to return to spiritual values, whereas the US. is going in the opposite direction. - Glen

It is a shame that it takes someone from Russia to speak the truth that our media refuses to do. The reason they don't is because they are communists themselves. - Steve

The incredible irony is that religious freedom is under assault by the US Democratic government and party. The battle in the US is truly a spiritual battle of good versus evil. - Sam

The anti-Christ system has taken full control of the USA. - J

I used to live in a country where strong conservative morale character meant something. No longer and the days of darkness here in the USA have begun. - Loy

I am sure they wished their government would do the same as Russia by putting anti-gay laws and laws to protect Christianity. Fines and jail time to defend children and Christ's church. Putin said,

"Certain countries ... think that there is no need to protect [children] from this. ... But we are going to provide such protection the way that State Duma [parliamentary] lawmakers have decided. We ask you not to interfere in our governance."

It was not long ago when Communism soaked the land of Russia with blood and destroyed churches in its quest to bring happiness to mankind. Now the Russian Orthodox Church is strong and getting stronger thanks to men in government like President Vladimir Putin. Does America know how this happened and why their media still portrays it as the same evil Soviet Union?

How can conservative media sources in America who claim to be Christian ignore their Christian brothers in Russia who are now successful? Martyrs they ignore and the blood that was shed to restore the Christian Church in Russia. They must be con artists playing the conservative side as fools while the liberals enslave the rest.

Devout Russian Christians are on the march to conquer the world. Not like the Communist Soviet Union who spread wars like Obama and the US are doing now. These Russians are like Disciples of Christ who lovingly reach out to their brothers and sisters. Helping men and women in darkness enslaved by a materialistic society who are truly in need of Christ. Look to the East.

Reagan called the Soviet Union the evil empire and rightly so. "The Soviet Union was the Russian people held hostage by the Communists"- Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn wrote about those evils in many of his books, which Reagan was well aware of. On May 30, 1988 in Moscow, President Ronald Reagan was at the Danilov Monastery.

He said, "There is a beautiful passage that I'd just like to read, if I may. It's from one of this country's great writers and believers, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, about the faith that is as elemental to this land as the dark and fertile soil. He wrote:

"When you travel the byroads of central Russia, you begin to understand the secret of the pacifying Russian countryside. It is in the churches. They lift their bell-towers-graceful, shapely, all different-high over mundane timber and thatch. From villages that are cut off and invisible to each other, they soar to the same heaven.... The evening chimes used to ring out, floating over the villages, fields, and woods, reminding men that they must abandon trivial concerns of this world and give time and thought to eternity."

Putin and Reagan listened to Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Those who listen to their elders tend to be wiser. Vladimir Putin allows Christianity to flourish unlike the liberals in America who have their own warped idea of freedom from God and a denial of evil's existence in the world.

There is a reason that most public schools in America do not teach the Bolshevik revolution and its true consequences. There are people in the West that want to remove everything related to Christ from "public view" just as the communists did during the Soviet enslavement of Russia. 20th century Russia is proof that Christianity can prevail against their darkness and confusion.

Today, the liberals who control the West fear Putin as though doomsday was tomorrow. It's not a nuclear threat but rather a spiritual renewal that threatens them. It is not Putin but Russia's Christianity they fear. Rather, it is Christ they truly fear and hate. They try to persuade Americans by scaring everyone with ideas of Putin as the evil KGB out to destroy the world. They "reason" KGB is bad. Putin is KGB. Therefore, Putin is bad. They demonize Putin because it's not our world but their liberal world that is in danger of being destroyed.

Russian Duma Moves to Enact Anti-Gay Law Nationwide.

Russian Duma Moves to Enact Anti-Gay Law Nationwide.(MT).Kissing his boyfriend during a protest in front of the State Duma earned Pavel Samburov 30 hours of detention and the equivalent of a $16 fine on a charge of "hooliganism."
But if a bill that comes up for a first vote later this month becomes law, such a public kiss could be defined as illegal "homosexual propaganda" and bring a fine of up to $16,000.
The legislation, being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism."
It includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. St. Petersburg and a number of other cities already have similar laws on their books.
Samburov describes the bill as part of a Kremlin crackdown on minorities of any kind — political and religious as well as sexual — designed to divert public attention from growing discontent with Putin's rule. The lanky and long-haired Samburov is the founder of the Rainbow Association, which unites gay activists throughout Russia. The gay-rights group has joined anti-Putin marches in Moscow over the past year, its rainbow flag waving along with those of other opposition groups.
Denis Volkov, a sociologist for the Levada Center, an independent pollster, said the anti-homosexuality bill fits the "general logic" of a government intent on limiting various rights.
But in this case, the move has been met mostly with either indifference or open enthusiasm by average Russians. Levada polls conducted last year show that almost 67 percent of Russians find homosexuality "morally unacceptable and worth condemning." About half are against gay rallies and same-sex marriage. Almost a third think homosexuality is the result of "a sickness or a psychological trauma," the Levada surveys show.
Russia's widespread hostility to homosexuality is shared by the political and religious elite. Lawmakers have accused gays of decreasing Russia's already low birth rates and said they should be barred from government jobs, undergo forced medical treatment or be exiled. Orthodox activists criticized PepsiCo for using a "gay" rainbow on cartons of its dairy products.
The federal bill's expected adoption comes 20 years after a Stalinist-era law punishing homosexuality with up to five years in prison was removed from the Criminal Code as part of the democratic reforms that followed the Soviet Union's collapse.
Gays have been whipsawed by official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gays and lesbians live in Russia, and only a few big cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have gay nightclubs and gyms.
In other parts of Russia, gays feel even less secure. Bagaudin Abduljalilov moved to Moscow from Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region, where he says some gays have been beaten and had their hands cut off, sometimes by their own relatives, for bringing shame on their families.
"You don't have any human rights down there," he said. "Anything can be done to you with impunity."
Shortly before moving to Moscow, Abduljalilov left Islam to become a Christian, but he was expelled from a seminary after telling the dean he is gay. He also has had trouble finding a job as a television journalist because of discrimination against people from Dagestan. Read the full story here.

Putin Backs Ban on Muslim Headscarves at Schools.

Putin Backs Ban on Muslim Headscarves at Schools.(RN).Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was against allowing students to wear Muslim headscarves at schools, but welcomed the idea of returning to school uniforms. Several Muslim families in the city of Stavropol in southern Russia have recently complained to the muftiat saying that their daughters were not allowed to attend school wearing headscarves.

“We should always respect people's religious feelings but we must proceed from the fact that we live in a secular state,” Putin said at a meeting with People’s Front activists. 

“We need to see how our neighbors in European countries are dealing with this problem, then everything will become clear,” he said. The Russian president insisted that attempts to stand out in multi-religious communities will sooner or later make representatives of other religions feel deprived of their freedoms and rights. “It is better if everybody feels equal,” Putin stressed. He also proposed that regional and municipal authorities should consider re-introducing a single school uniform at schools across Russia, as it used to be in the Soviet Union. Putin pointed at the positive experience of some European countries which have a "good tradition" of introducing uniforms not only in schools but also in universities.Read the full story here.

“Putin’s political spetsnaz,” Rodina Reborn.

                         Dep PM Dimitry Rogozin with a group of Union of Orthodox Banner -bearers.

“Putin’s political spetsnaz,” Rodina Reborn.(RN).A nationalist party that once called itself “Putin’s political spetsnaz,” or special force, was reinstated in Moscow on Saturday, six years after the Kremlin had it canceled.
Rodina (“Fatherland”) will remain staunchly loyal to President Vladimir Putin because of his patriotic stance, which is also at the core of the party’s ideology, said the new Rodina leader, Alexei Zhuravlyov.
Zhuravlyov, a member of the ruling United Russia, was unanimously voted the head of Rodina at a congress in Moscow. The party will be applying for official registration with the Justice Ministry, a prerequisite to participate in any elections in Russia.
Rodina, then headed by Dmitry Rogozin, was a rising force in Russian politics in the early 2000s, peaking during the 2003 parliamentary elections, when its brand of populist nationalism brought it 37 of 450 seats in the State Duma.
But the Kremlin, concerned with Rodina’s rising influence, had it merged in 2006 along with two other independent parties into the leftist and pro-government A Just Russia. Rogozin was made Russia’s envoy to NATO and later became a Deputy Prime Minister.
Rogozin endorsed the newly established party at the congress on Saturday, but opted not to join.
It remained unclear whether any of the 64 State Duma deputies with A Just Russia will leave their current party to join Rodina.
Russia has no prominent nationalist parties except for the populist and pro-Kremlin Liberal Democratic Party. However, Rodina faces stiff competition from 32 new parties of all political stripes that were registered in recent months after the liberalization of party legislation, as well as dozens that are pending registration. Hmmmm......As i warned before "Rogozin a man with a vision".Read the full story here.

Russian Duma Mulls Religious Offense Bill after attacks on Orthodox Christian sites.

The draft law also comes after four wooden crosses were chopped down in Russia’s regions last month 

Russian Duma Mulls Religious Offense Bill after attacks on Orthodox Christian sites.(RN).
Russia's parliament is considering amendments to the country's criminal code, under which causing religious offense will be a crime punishable by measures ranging from a one-off fine to five years behind bars. The initiative has so far found broad cross-party support in parliament, Yaroslav Nilov from the Liberal Democrat Party of Russia (LDPR) told journalists on Wednesday. "The LDPR worked with all the other parliamentary parties and a member of the Federation Council to prepare the draft law, and now the draft law on tightening responsibility for causing religious offense has been submitted" he said. Sergei Obukhov of Russia’s Communist Party, told RIA Novosti his party supports the draft law and said he hopes that it will come onto the statute book this session. “The state has a duty to protect the rights of its citizens to their religious views. Antireligious campaigns risk destabilizing society, and in the interests of public order, peace, and security there is a real need to toughen punishment for causing religious offence” Obukhov said. The Chair of the Duma Committee on Security and Anticorruption Measures, Irina Yarovaya, also backed the draft law, claiming offending religious sensibilities presents a very real danger to society as a whole, not just to the individual offended, because this "creates an atmosphere of conflict and mistrust." "Believers not only value what they themselves hold holy, but also the confidence that they have in the state's protection," she added.Read the full story here.

Related: Over 80% of Russians Favor ‘Blasphemy’ Draft Law - Survey.

Gay Propaganda Ban in Russia - Russian Supreme Court Defines ‘Gay Propaganda’

Gay Propaganda Ban in Russia - Russian Supreme Court Defines ‘Gay Propaganda’.(RN).Russia’s Supreme Court upheld a controversial regional ban on “gay propaganda,” but said it only covers the direct promotion of homosexual relations among minors, LGBT activists said on Thursday. Pickets in support of and public discussions on gay rights remain legal despite the ban, passed by the Arkhangelsk Region's legislature last fall, the court said. Informing minors about homosexual relations is also allowed as long as the information remains neutral in tone, the court said in a ruling passed in mid-August but not publicized until this week. The Arkhangelsk ban imposes fines of up to 50,000 rubles ($1,600) for “gay propaganda,” without elaborating on the term. The ban was since adopted by several other Russian regions, including St. Petersburg, and proposed for nationwide application. The LGBT community in Russia is rarely permitted to hold public events. Moscow authorities have been banning gay pride rallies in the capital since 2006, and last summer the City Hall prohibited all such events for the next 100 years.Read the full story here, more here.

Putin discusses Pussy Riot and group sex in TV interview.

Putin discusses Pussy Riot and group sex in TV interview.(MN).President Vladimir Putin has given his first TV interview after his inauguration, discussing Pussy Riot, group sex and Russian-U.S. relations. Putin said he would not comment on the Pussy Riot sentence, and said he did not follow the career of the women imprisoned for two years for singing a song called, “Mother of God, Drive Putin Away” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. However, he went on to discuss their previous stunts. When the reporter said that pussy can be translated as cat, Putin said that he “understands everything” and asked the interviewer “not to pretend that you do not understand anything.”
Putin remembered their stunt in a Moscow supermarket called “Execution of Jews, Gastarbeiters and Faggots,” as well as their orgy in a museum.
 At this point, Putin commented on the merits of group sex: “Some of the fans [of group sex] say that it is better than one-on-one, as there, as in any teamwork, it is possible to sit out.” Putin also said that Russia would work with any U.S. president, especially on a missile defense system in Europe.Read the full story here.

"Боже мой" - Russia cracks down on 'Blasphemists', Orthodox activists create Moscow patrol squads.

"Боже мой" - Russia cracks down on 'Blasphemists', Orthodox activists create Moscow patrol squads.(MN).Orthodox activists are up in arms to protect their priests and sacred places with patrol squads scouring Moscow for the “enemies of faith.” Ivan Otrakovsky, head of Orthodox Christian movement Holy Rus, said seven teams had already started operating in the Russian capital, BBC Russian service reported on Wednesday. “The time has come to remind all apostates and theomachists that it is our land and we forbid blasphemous, offensive actions and statements against the Orthodox religion and our people,” Otrakovsky wrote in his call for volunteers at the end of last week.
 ‘Blasphemy, heresy, defilement and lechery’ The offensive actions can take various forms, but they can be “a kind of ‘art’, marches, lectures or anything else that comes laden with blasphemy, heresy, defilement and lechery,” it has to be stopped, according to Otrakovsky.
If troop members spot someone vandalizing churches or sneering at priests, they will have to “take actions to detain [this person] and call police,” he told the BBC.
The devout defender of Orthodoxy hopes to see these troops operating nationwide, but said that they would not be bringing more violence to Russia’s streets. “An Orthodox believer in God is very calm and moderate,” he said. “We don’t have any personal enemies, just the enemies of faith.”
‘Spiritual terrorism’ Otrakovsky’s call for volunteers was published on the day after a Moscow court sentenced three members of female punk band Pussy Riot to two years in a penal colony for performing an anti-Kremlin punk-prayer in Russia’s main church. The sentence was protested by numerous supporters of the group and saw several other Russian churches desecrated by unknown people. Dimitry Smirnov, an Orthodox cleric in charge of the church’s relations with the army and law enforcement bodies, is going to prepare a report on the need to fight “spiritual terrorism” and increasing protection of Orthodox places of worship, Interfax reported.
‘Every religion must have its own patrol squads’ The secular powers that be, however, don’t seem to favor the idea of Orthodox groups patrolling the streets. “I think it is a wrong approach. This will, to the contrary, cause a split in society – we have a multi-confessional state,” Alexei Mayorov, head of Moscow’s regional security department, told Interfax. The Internal Affairs Ministry also believed this initiative to be “premature,” Interfax’s source said. Human rights activists also frowned upon the proposal. “Every religion must have its own patrol squads then, and atheists too,” Lyudmila Alexeyeva told RIA Novosti. She described Otrakovsky’s idea as “nonsense.”Read the full story here.

Autocratic Russia and the Union of Orthodox Citizens are planning to register an “Orthodox” political party.

Autocratic Russia and the Union of Orthodox Citizens are planning to register an “Orthodox” political party.(RN).Autocratic Russia and the Union of Orthodox Citizens are planning to register an “Orthodox” political party, Izvestia daily reported on Thursday. The organization’s founders said they see Russia as a monarchy with a special role for the Russian Orthodox Church and the patriarch of Moscow and all Russia as the country’s spiritual leader. “We are registering a party that will struggle for the revitalization of Russia and our country’s traditions that were lost after the criminal Bolshevik coup,” Autocratic Russia leader Dmitry Merkulov said. “We want the [Orthodox] Church to enhance its role in the life of our state,” he said, adding that the Russian Orthodox Church was key to the existence of a Russian Orthodox state. Russia needs to reunify with its canonical territories, first and foremost with Belarus and Ukraine, and elect an Orthodox monarch to lead the country to its former greatness, he said. 
The new party will work to reinstate religious instruction in schools and emphasize traditional spiritual, moral and cultural values. Valentin Lebedev, head of the Union of Orthodox Citizens, said the Russian Orthodox Church is currently under fierce attack because it is “the last pillar of Russian statehood, traditions and culture.” 
As of late the Russian Orthodox Church has come in for unprecedented criticism both at home and abroad over the punk group Pussy Riot case.
On April 22 the ROC conducted a “defense of the faith” nationwide prayer to protect it from attacks by “anti-Russian forces.” The Church’s Supreme Council said it had been targeted by “those pushing through radical liberal values” over its opposition to same-sex marriages and consumerism. Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill was condemned by opposition figures for his public backing of Vladimir Putin in the run-up to the ex-KGB officer’s landslide victory at March 4 presidential polls. The patriarch called the 12 years of Putin's rule a "miracle of God" in a televised meeting. Top Church officials have also been criticized by bloggers and by opposition media for their “lavish” lifestyles. The anti-Putin Novaya Gazeta newspaper also alleged in February a pre-patriarch-era Kirill profited from Church tobacco and alcohol sales in the early 1990s. Patriarch Kirill was also at the center of a scandal earlier this year regarding a $30,000 Breguet watch, which was airbrushed – although its reflection remained intact – out of an official Church photo following public indignation over his possession of the luxury timepiece. The patriarch had admitted owning the watch in an interview prior to the row, but said he never wore it.Read the full story here.

Playboy Wants Pussy Riot for Centerfold

Playboy Wants Pussy Riot for Centerfold.(RN).Playboy magazine’s Ukrainian edition has offered a member of the Russian female punk band Pussy Riot, who is currently awaiting verdict in a trial in Moscow on hooliganism charges, to pose for its centerfold, Russian daily Izvestia reported on Wednesday. “Our readers are active users of social networks where Pussy Riot girls have been the main heroines of the past few months,” Playboy Ukraine’s editor-in-chief, Vlad Ivanenko, told the paper. “We consider Nadezhda Tolokonnikova an artist and believe that her appearance in a Playboy Ukraine centerfold would be well received by the audience,” he said, adding that his deputy “dreams of marrying Nadezhda.” Tolokonnikova, 22, along with two other Pussy Riot participants, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, are facing up to seven years in jail for performing a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s main cathedral in February, asking the Virgin Mary to “drive Putin out.”
The three women were arrested shortly afterwards and charged with hooliganism aimed at "inciting religious hatred." They have dismissed the charges, saying that their stunt was intended to highlight the close alliance between the Orthodox Church and the state in Russia. The verdict in the controversial trial, which has sparked heated debates in Russia and triggered strong criticism from Russian and international rights groups, is expected on Friday. Ivanenko said Playboy had already contacted Tolokonnikova’s defense to arrange a photo shoot if the court decides to free the women on Friday.Read the full story here.

Madonna Breaks 'Gay Propaganda' Law - St. Petersburg Lawmaker

Madonna Breaks 'Gay Propaganda' Law - St. Petersburg Lawmaker.(RN).A city councilor in St. Petersburg has accused U.S. pop star Madonna of violating a controversial local law banning "homosexual propaganda" during her concert there. Vitaly Milonov, the author of the law, said the city's "public organizations" will take either the singer or gig organizers to court. "We have video footage showing there were 12-year-old children there," Milonov, who belongs to the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, told journalists. But the organizers PMI group said the tickets clearly stated those under 18 were not advised to attend the concert.
During her show in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Madonna told her fans that homosexuals had the same rights as anyone elese to be treated with dignity and tolerance. She also took off her shirt to reveal the words "No Fear" written across her back. The law, signed by St. Petersburg's governor in March, makes it a crime to "disseminate homosexual propaganda" to minors. It stipulates fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($160) for individuals, 50,000 rubles ($1,600) for officials and up to 500,000 rubles ($16,000) for organizations that violate it. Several politicians and church figures have called for the legislation to be passed at the federal level. Homosexuality was only decriminalized in Russia in 1993, and anti-gay sentiments, including among officials, remain strong. In 2007, former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov described attempts to hold a Gay Parade in the capital as "satanic." There has never been a sanctioned Gay Parade in Russia. According to a 2010 survey by Russia's independent Levada Center polling agency, 74 percent of respondents said gays and lesbians were "amoral" and "mentally defective," while only 45 percent said they should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals. Madonna used her Moscow concert on August 7 to speak out in support of three members of the all-female punk group Pussy Riot, on trial for hooliganism.Hmmmm......Free publicity money can't buy this promo.Read the full story here.

Russian deputy PM Rogozin says Madonna tweet was not an insult.

  Russian deputy PM Rogozin with members of The far-right Union of Orthodox Banner -bearers.

Russian deputy PM Rogozin says Madonna tweet was not an insult.(HD).A Russian deputy prime minister has said he did not insult Madonna on Twitter ahead of her Saint Petersburg concert in which she spoke in defence of gay rights. The outspoken lawmaker, Dmitry Rogozin, tweeted a Russian abbreviation on Wednesday that was widely interpreted as an insult aimed at Madonna. In his tweet, Rogozin used the letter "b", which can sometimes refer to an offensive Russian word for "whore." "Every former b. seeks to lecture everyone on morality as she gets older. Especially during tours and gigs abroad," Rogozin tweeted. "Either take off your cross, or put on your knickers," he added.
After media outlets picked up the comments, the former NATO envoy said on Facebook on Thursday that he meant no offense and the abbreviation could refer to many things including "goddess" or "ballerina". "And they immediately linked my comments with the so-called 'Madonna' (goddamn her) even though I did not say a word about her." At her Saint Petersburg concert Thursday, Madonna spoke in support of the gay community in an often homophobic nation. She also irked authorities Tuesday when she called for the release of three members of all-girl punk band Pussy Riot, who are on trial for performing a song against President Vladimir Putin at a landmark Moscow church.Hmmmm......A deeply 'religious' man wouldn't use such words.....would he?Read the full story here.

Pussy Riot Trial Sheds Light on Kremlin's Religious Ties.

Pussy Riot Trial Sheds Light on Kremlin's Religious Ties.(Spiegel).By Benjamin Bidder.The trial against Moscow guerrilla punk band Pussy Riot is drawing to a close. Following calls from within the Russian Orthodox Church for tough punishment of the punk musicians' impromptu performance inside Moscow's main cathedral, prosecutors on Tuesday called for three-year prison sentences for each of the three accused women. Rushed trial proceedings have lasted late into the evenings. There were allegations in the courtrooom that the defendants wore clothing that was "obviously contrary to general church rules." It was even suggested that the women were practically possessed by the devil, having "twitched and jumped satanically, throwing their legs up, rolling their heads and calling out very insulting and blasphemous words."
Thanks to the slow summer news cycle, dozens of television teams from around the world have come to report on the grotesque trial at Moscow's central Khamovniki court. But it has slowly begun to dawn on both the Russian Orthodox community and the Kremlin that they may have done themselves a disservice with this ruthless and bizarre prosecution of the anti-Putin band members.
A tough verdict won't have the effect of a deterrent, warns Orthodox intellectual and clergyman Andrei Kurayev. On the contrary, the church is provoking copycat crimes and encouraging a radicalization of the opposition, he says. There has "never been a shortage of young extremists" in Russia, Kurayev adds.
Konstantin Sonin, a columnist for the business newspaper Vedomosti, even spoke of the "worst mistake by the Church since 1901." That year the Orthodox Church had the elderly writer Leo Tolstoy excommunicated.
Pop legend Madonna made a case for a lenient sentence during a concert performance in Moscow this week, as have many members of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. Solidarity events have been staged in Munich and a support video by international pop performance artist Peaches is planned in Berlin. Even in the tranquil Swiss city of Winterthur, someone reportedly spray painted "Free Pussy Riot" on the side of building. But as questionable as the furor with which the church and justice system are pursuing the band may be, the reactions and expectations from the West are equally exaggerated. Britain's Observer newspaper called the group Putin's "biggest political headache." Meanwhile, German weekly Der Freitag asked, "Can these women overthrow Putin?" The answer, of course, is no. Though polls show that the majority of Russians disapprove of the church's ties to the government in Moscow, data from the Levada Center, a respected research agency, shows that nearly 47 percent of respondents view the maximum possible sentence of 7 years as "appropriate" punishment for the band.Read the full story here.

Video - Pussy Riot Members Have Last Word before Sentence is Passed.

Members of the punk group Pussy Riot, charged with hooliganism in the Christ the Savior Cathedral, have had their final word in court. The final decision on their case will be made at 3 p.m. on August 17.