The Russian Orthodox Church healed an 80-year rift on Thursday, when a rival faction set up in the West by refugees fleeing the Soviet Union restored ties with the mother church in a lavish Moscow cathedral ceremony.
Bells rang out from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and bearded priests wearing flowing robes and tall hats chanted and crossed themselves as the leaders of the two Orthodox factions signed a reunification document.
President Vladimir Putin attended the ceremony, another move by Russia to reconnect with its pre-Soviet past and lay to rest the ghosts of revolution and state-sponsored atheism.
Wearing a bright green robe, Patriarch Alexiy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Laurus, the New York-based leader of the Orthodox Church Abroad who was dressed in light blue, signed the document in front of church leaders and relatives of the last Tsar.
The document officially establishes “canonical Communion”, meaning that the two churches recognise each other’s religious hierarchies and celebrations and the Orthodox Church Abroad will accept the final authority of Moscow-based Patriarch Alexiy.
Mr Putin, a former spy in Communist times, has openly demonstrated his Orthodox faith since he became president in 2000.