Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov could not say where Vladimir Putin will meet Easter. “I still can’t tell you about the plans of the President. I am not aware of them,” he said. Than, of course, gave rise to speculation. “MK” on the basis of past presidential preferences, as well as the statements of the various dioceses, has made his prediction.
Recall that earlier the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill in his sermon on palm Sunday called on the faithful to stay home and watch Church services on TV, fulfilling the sanitary requirements of the secular authorities. The website of the Russian Orthodox Church issued a circular letter to the office Manager of the Moscow Patriarchy of the Metropolitan of the resurrection of Dionysus, under which Church services during Holy week and Pascha in Moscow and the Moscow region from 13 April to 19 April will be held without a congregation. The Orthodox Church also explains how believers can bless the Easter food — eggs, cakes and so on.
Vladimir Putin traditionally meets Easter in the temple of Christ the Savior. So it was last year, and almost all the years of his presidency. Although in 2000, Putin met Easter in St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, and in 2003 at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Dushanbe.
But Christmas President meets in the small temples. He attended Christmas services in Moscow (twice), Vladimir, Chelyabinsk region, in Suzdal, Tver region (three times), in Yakutsk, in the Moscow region, Vologda, Petrozavodsk, Kostroma region, in St. Petersburg (four times), Sochi (twice), in the Voronezh region and Veliky Novgorod.
Given that about half of regions of Russia the Church did not close the temples, one would assume that the choice of Vladimir Putin is great. Moreover, Sands did not give a direct answer. Although perhaps journalists just hurry up with the question about the intentions of the President planned to announce later, closer to Easter. For example, to set an example to the believers.
But in fact Putin has only three choices. Conventionally, they can be bad, so so good.
the Bad can be of two types. Putin will come to the temple of Christ the Savior, closed for mere mortals. The Patriarch, of course, figure out how to justify it, but the reputational loss will still be great. Either the President is secretly going to one of the temples. That’s just about it sooner or later becomes known, which again will affect not the best way.
the Option “so-so” is that Putin will visit at Easter, one of the outstanding temples in the calm in the epidemiological plan for the region. Technically it does not violate any regulations, but it will look as the distance from the people. After all, most of this is not possible.
Well and good. Vladimir Putin, setting an example of Christian humility and obedience, celebrate Easter at his residence. And television is going to cover as widely as it is and the service of the empty Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Which, incidentally, can play a positive role: see, even the President fulfills the requirements of sanitary authorities, so all this is not a joke, and then we need to be careful.
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