In the Orthodox Christian calendar, today is the Sunday of the Last Judgment. It is an occasion when the faithful brace themselves for the strictly vegan Lenten Fast which begins a week later, and also contemplate the divine punishment or reward which they believe they will ultimately face, depending on how they have treated the weak and vulnerable.
A good moment, it seems, for the head of Russia's church to weigh in with a carefully calibrated pronouncement on a public dispute that has highlighted both the extent and the limits of clerical power, and divided the country's establishment as well as ordinary citizens. The row concerns Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, one of the most imposing places of worship in the world and a gloriously resonant piece of Russia's national heritage.
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