Putin: Russian Orthodox Church is The Spiritual Backbone of Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a meeting of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is taking place at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow and is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of restoring the patriarchate in Russia. Bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Estonia, as well as over 20 other countries with dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, participate in the Bishops’ Council, which is the supreme governing body of the Church. Plenary sessions of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church will take place from November 29 to December 2, with the discussions focusing on current issues of the Russian Orthodox Church’s activities as well as international issues, in particular, the church schism in Ukraine and the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. During the meeting, Vladim