Russian patriarch blesses new Paris church, a Putin project

Russian Patriarch Kirill, an ally of Putin, presides over a blessing ceremony in the Saint Trinity Church in Paris on Sunday

The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrated a prominent new church on Sunday near the Eiffel Tower seen as a controversial symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence in Europe.

Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin, led the elaborate sanctifying ceremony in the Saint Trinity Church on the banks of the Seine River, the gold-domed centerpiece of a 100 million euro (USD106 million) complex owned by the Russian government that will include a cultural center and a school.

The hours-long ceremony included the consecration of the altar, a procession around the grounds and the placing of relics, accompanied by an all-male choir and the rich smells of incense. While it was primarily a religious event, it carried strong political overtones.

The staunchly conservative Kirill came to Paris’ Left Bank as Europe faces a populist push against multicultural liberalism in favor of the kind of tougher, more traditional politics that Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church eschew. And his visit comes as some leading French and other European politicians argue for better relations with Russia after years of diplomatic tensions over Moscow’s role in the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Putin championed the project for a new Russian church in Paris, which prompted criticism from rights groups when it was first approved in 2008, and new concerns as diplomatic relations soured in ensuing years. Putin played down suspicions that it would be used by Russian secret services to spy on sensitive government buildings and embassies in the surrounding neighborhood.

The Russian state-owned church on a prominent piece of Parisian real estate is also an awkward symbol for secular France, which adheres firmly to its division between church and state.

The patriarch thanked France for allowing the construction of the “magnificent” Paris site. In meetings with Russian emigres, he warned that it’s “dangerous” for them to lose their loyalty to Russia. “It’s your duty. You can live wherever you want, but you cannot break spiritual and cultural ties with your people,” he said. MDT/AP