Russian Orth.Patriarch: 1917 Rev."Catastrophic;" Communists Leveled Churches,Murdered Priests

The 1917 October Revolution that heralded the triumph of communism in Russia had "catastrophic consequences" for religious communities, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, told the Interreligious Council in Moscow on the 100th anniversary of the revolution, according to the Christian Today website.


Patriarch Kirill, who maintains a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has seen the Orthodox Church flourish under the Putin regime with thousands of churches rebuilt and a new public role for the Orthodox Church.


In his address to the Interreligious Council, Kirill said: "This event [the 1917 revolution] led to truly catastrophic consequences for religious communities, to persecution of believers, destruction of churches, and totally anti-religious propaganda." (Communist control of Russia ended in 1989, with the collapse of the Soviet Union.)


Kirill added that during purges under Russian communist leaders -- notably Joseph Stalin -- churches were closed, church property expropriated, and priests were imprisoned and executed.