Orthodox Russians celebrate Easter with evening service at Moscow Cathedral

MOSCOW – Worshipers, including President Vladimir Putin, packed the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a Moscow landmark, for an evening Easter service led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an outspoken supporter of the Kremlin.

The traditional singing service began on Saturday night, with Kirill delivering good wishes to Orthodox believers, which were broadcast on Russian TV. A procession of white-clad clerics then made its way around the vast cathedral, rebuilt in post-Soviet times and widely seen as a symbol of Russia’s rejection of its atheist past, as they waved smoking censers and chanted the liturgy.

Most Western churches celebrate Easter on March 31, but the Russian Orthodox Church follows a different calendar.

In his Easter speech, Kirill wished “God’s blessing on Russia”, its people and all the countries where the Church is present.

In a written message published Saturday on the church’s website, Kirill noted that “the awareness of God’s love…gives us strength to overcome the most difficult mental states and difficult circumstances, lifts us above the hustle and bustle of everyday life, helps to correct mistakes previous ones and destroys discouragement.”

This year, the patriarch seemed to move away from political pronouncements, unlike what happened last April, when he lamented “serious events that occurred in our historical Russian land”, referring to Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine and reinforcing the narrative from the Kremlin that the Ukrainian state is essentially a fiction.

The service, with a choir of mixed voices and faithful standing holding thin red candles, was scheduled to last until Sunday.

Putin was shown among the faithful, alongside Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, as the two joined in traditional Easter greetings. The Russian leader was later seen exchanging festive gifts with Kirill.

Early Saturday, Orthodox Russians headed to churches to receive baskets of festive food, including hand-painted eggs and traditional Easter cakes, blessed by a priest.

Putin has been eager to present himself as a defender of the “traditional values” upheld by the Russian Orthodox Church in the face of what he has repeatedly called the “degrading” influence of the West. The country has increasingly taken a conservative turn, with attempts to restrict abortion and broad bans against LGBTQ+ activism and gender transition that have found support from the Church.