Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a leading supporter of President Vladimir Putin, is in isolation and bedridden after testing positive for Covid, his press service announced on Friday.
Kirill has given strong support to the Russian offensive in Ukraine in recent months, calling for “uniting” around power to defeat the “enemies” of the historic Russia-Ukraine union.
He recently assured that soldiers who die in combat will be “cleansed of their sins.”
“marked symptoms”
“All meetings and trips of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, scheduled for the next few days, are canceled due to Covid,” the Russian Church said in a statement, adding that the 75-year-old religious was suffering from “marked symptoms” and had to “stay in bed and isolate.” However, his status remains “satisfactory”, according to the same source.
Head of the Russian Orthodox since 2009, Patriarch Kirill has put his Church at the service of President Vladimir Putin, calling it a “miracle”, sharing his ambition for a powerful Russia with resolutely conservative values.
He has been the target of British and Canadian sanctions since the summer, with Canada calling him in particular an “agent of Russian disinformation and propaganda.”
Source: BFM TV
