Voltaire Network Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia,

For the record.

Voltaire Network
Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

Pope Francis, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

Anastasia Borik — What you need to know about the meeting of the Pope and the Patriarch

Dispels some myths and explains background and details.

Russia Direct
What you need to know about the meeting of the Pope and the Patriarch
Anastasia Borik

Sputnik — Pope Francis Sees Putin as 'Only Man' to Defend Christians Around the World

This is really going to give the Western powers that be heartburn.

Sputnik
Pope Francis Sees Putin as 'Only Man' to Defend Christians Around the World

Richard Greene — BREAKING: Pope to Meet Head of Russian Church - It's Never Happened in 1000 Yr History

The long-feuding churches are meeting in atheist Cuba, with the blessing of communist hero Fidel Castro. How times change.

Why is this a big deal? Because Russia is under attack by Western elites, spearheaded out of Washington. This is a thumb in their eye. It will be amusing to see how they spin it.

The there will be the jokes: "Pope Francis, Patriarch Kirill, and Fidel Castro walk into a bar ….

Russia Insider
BREAKING: Pope to Meet Head of Russian Church - It's Never Happened in 1000 Yr History
Richard Greene

Nicolai N. Petro — Russia's Orthodox Soft Power

For many analysts the term Russky mir, or Russian World, epitomizes an expansionist and messianic Russian foreign policy, the perverse intersection of the interests of the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Little noted is that the term actually means something quite different for each party. For the state it is a tool for expanding Russia's cultural and political influence, while for the Russian Orthodox Church it is a spiritual concept, a reminder that through the baptism of Rus, God consecrated these people to the task of building a Holy Rus.

The close symphonic relationship between the Orthodox Church and state in Russia thus provides Russian foreign policy with a definable moral framework, one that, given its popularity, is likely to continue to shape the country's policies well into the future.....

It's not possible to understand current events involving Russia, Russians, and Russophones in other countries without understanding the significant of the concept of Russky mir. Otherwise it is just projection. Religious people of the West were praying for the conversion of Russia. Well, they got it and now will have to deal with it.

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Russia's Orthodox Soft Power
Nicolai N. Petro | Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island

Sputnik International — The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said that a weakening Russian national currency gives Russia a chance to strengthen its economic power

The fall of the ruble and other economic problems will not influence the welfare of the majority of Russians and could be used to strengthen the country's economy, The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said Wednesday, in a Christmas interview with Dmitry Kiselev, the Director General of Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency. "I am deeply convinced that the fluctuations in exchange rate cannot dramatically influence the welfare of our citizens," the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said. 

The Patriarch added that a weakening Russian national currency gives Russia a chance to strengthen its economic power. "All this story with the current exchange rate gives us, as a country, a unique chance to change for the better," Kirill said, adding that Russia would not have thought about diversifying its economy unless oil prices had dropped.…

Sputnik International

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said that a weakening Russian national currency gives Russia a chance to strengthen its economic power