Headlines
In a report from the Guardian, the Russian Orthodox Church’s spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin had some dark words for Pussy Riot and his vision of a theocracy for Mother Russia. And before you say it: no, he is not Rasputin.
Chaplin said he refused to accept the three women’s apology, issued in court on Monday, for insulting Orthodox believers. The women have pleaded not guilty.
“Their words had a double meaning,” Chaplin said. “Any acceptance of a mistake is a step in the right direction. But they also insulted the patriarch, who is a symbol of the church.
“When symbols are overthrown, and others are put in their stead, people want to say: we’ve taken power here. All these acts around symbols are attempts to redistribute power.”
“Our ideal is the unity of the church and the authorities, and unity of the people and the authorities.”
But if anything demonstrates the national character, it’s the results of this poll:
43% of Russians thought that a prison sentence of two to seven years would be a disproportionate response, while 33% thought it would be adequate.
Read the full story at the Guardian.
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