Patriarch to Comment on Pussy Riot Case after Court Ruling

© RIA Novosti . Sergei Pyatakov / Go to the mediabankPatriarch Kirill
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The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, will comment on the case of feminist punk band Pussy Riot after a court makes a ruling on the case, the head of the patriarch’s press service, Deacon Alexander Volkov, said.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, will comment on the case of feminist punk band Pussy Riot after a court makes a ruling on the case, the head of the patriarch’s press service, Deacon Alexander Volkov, said.

The patriarch has not publicly reacted to calls from different groups to ask the authorities to pardon the all-female band, five members of which in February chanted a song entitled “Holy Sh*t” against then premier Vladimir Putin that also contained words insulting to Patriarch Kirill in Moscow’s downtown Christ the Savior Cathedral. Three young women have been jailed since March pending trial.

The performance took place next to the main altar, which is off-limits to all but priests. The group said the performance was a response to Patriarch Kirill’s support for Putin in the run-up to his March 4 election victory. Their actions have been widely condemned by believers and the Church, but supported by some opposition activists and public figures.

Volkov agreed that the women have been in jail for too long. “They have been behind bars for a long time, but the Church cannot do anything about it,” he said on Thursday.

The females have been charged with hooliganism, which means they may face up to seven years behind bars. Their detention on hooliganism charges pending trial split Russian society on the issue of possible punishment, with some asking to let the women go and others demanding real prison terms for them.

The Church has said it would ask authorities for leniency should the sentence be too harsh. Patriarch Kirill has kept silent on the matter to “avoid pressuring the investigation.”

“The patriarch has certainly been informed about all addresses by people in connection with Pussy Riot members being jailed,” the spokesman said.

“And we are calling on everyone to display patience, because there may be no talk of any official statements assessing the girls’ deeds before… the court makes a ruling on the case,” the deacon told journalists.

“I assure you the patriarch will make public his personal assessment of the incident as soon as the court makes a relevant ruling,” Volkov said.

Otherwise, he said, Patriarch Kirill’s interference would be perceived as putting pressure on the investigation.

The spokesman also denied claims that the Orthodox Church was among those who asked that criminal proceedings be initiated against the young women.

“This is absurd,” he said.

 

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