VZCZCXRO2032
RR RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #3564/01 3441505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091505Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1065
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 003564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL RS SOCI
SUBJECT: SPOT REPORT: FUNERAL SERVICES FOR PATRIARCH 
ALEKSEY II 
 
REF: MOSCOW 03522 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary.  On December 9, numerous religious 
leaders, government officials, and Orthodox faithful gathered 
at Christ the Savior cathedral in central Moscow for the 
funeral of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksey II who 
died on December 5.  Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew 
I, in his first visit to Russia since 1993, officiated the 
funeral services.  Known for his role in resurrecting the 
Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) after the fall of Communism, 
Aleksey posthumously received high praise for his work in 
strengthening the ROC's relations with leaders of other 
faiths.  Medvedev and Putin topped a long list of Russian 
public figures in attendance, and several foreign heads of 
state and regional leaders offered a final tribute to the 
late Patriarch at the service.   The Ambassador attended the 
high-profile ceremony that drew several other members of the 
diplomatic community.  End Summary. 
 
World Orthodox Leaders Attend Funeral 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Russian Patriarch Aleksey II's death on December 5 
elicited widespread mourning and praise in advance of his 
funeral on December 9 (reftel).  The funeral services at 
Christ the Savior cathedral in Moscow, officiated by 
Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, attracted Orthodox 
leaders from all over the world.  Approximately 1000 people 
witnessed the ceremony from inside the cathedral, but as many 
as 10,000 crowded around the outside the secured church 
perimeter.  The most notable Orthodox figures present 
included Georgian Patriarch Elijah II, Bishop Serafim of 
Canada, Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Metropolitan Christopher 
of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Head of the Armenian 
Apostolic Church Catholicos Garegin II, Metropolitan Georgios 
of Paphos (Orthodox Church of Cyprus), Archbishop Anastasios 
of Tirana, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens.  Georgian 
Patriarch Elijah II, who called Aleksey "a great friend of 
Georgia and of the Georgian Orthodox Church," presided over 
Georgian-language religious services at Christ the Savior on 
December 8 (Note: Aleksey refused to recognize the South 
Ossetian and Abkhazian Orthodox Church's proposed 
independence after the war in Georgia, professing the need 
for a mutual decision with the Georgian Orthodox Church based 
on Church canon).  A law enforcement agency spokesman 
estimated that 82,000 people visited Christ the Savior 
cathedral between Saturday and early Tuesday morning to give 
their final tributes to Aleksey II. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  At the conclusion of the funeral service, Russian 
Orthodox leaders interred the body of Aleksey II, according 
to his will, at one of Moscow's biggest and most popular 
churches, Epiphany Cathedral (Bogayavlenskiy Sobor). 
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the 
Patriarchal Locum Tenens or acting Patriarch, said at the 
burial service that "Patriarch Aleksey had left a new church 
to the people, different than the one he took over in 1990." 
The ROC not only enthroned Aleksey in 1990 at Epiphany 
Cathedral, but it also served as the site of numerous 
services conducted by Aleksey, reflecting Epiphany's 
significance to him.  Epiphany became well-known as the site 
of the most revered icon in all of Russian Orthodoxy, the 
icon of the Virgin Mary of Kazan, which the ROC used to bless 
troops in 1612 before a major battle for the liberation of 
Moscow.  Aleksey's two predecessors, Patriarch Aleksey I and 
Patriarch Pimen, were buried at the Trinity-St. Sergius 
Monastery. 
 
Government Leaders Remember Aleksey 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Dozens of Russian government leaders, including 
Medvedev and Putin, mourned the loss of Russia's highest 
religious figure at the midday funeral.  In addition to 
Russia's two highest leaders, several cabinet ministers, 
administration advisors, governors, and mayors came to the 
church.  Medvedev noted on December 8 that Aleksey "called 
for mutual respect, tolerance, and trust among followers of 
various creeds and traditions and initiated dialogue between 
Churches and nations," and that he "turned the ROC into a 
highly respected institution that cooperates fruitfully with 
the state."  Putin called Aleksey a "pure man" who 
contributed to "the establishment of Russian statehood" in a 
December 5 statement.  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov 
commented on December 8 that Aleksey was "destined to revive 
the Russian Church and to bring millions of our citizens back 
to spiritual sources."  Communist Party leader Gennadiy 
Zyuganov characterized the Patriarch as a person who treated 
all people equitably despite their political party 
affiliations and thanked him for adopting the law on the 
freedom of conscience "that put up a major obstacle to the 
 
MOSCOW 00003564  002 OF 002 
 
 
onslaughts of sects."  Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 
leader Vladimir Zhirinovskiy called Aleksey's death "the 
country's biggest loss over the pass forty years," 
specifically appreciating Aleksey's success in reuniting the 
ROC with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia 
(ROCOR). 
 
¶5. (SBU)  While the ROC did not issue invitations, several 
international leaders traveled to Moscow for the funeral. 
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka, Armenian President 
Serzh Sargsyan, and Serbian President Boris Tadic attended 
the funeral.  Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich 
and the president from Georgia's breakaway provinces of South 
Ossetia, Eduard Kokoyty, and Abkhazia, Sergey Bagapsh, also 
observed the proceedings.  The Ambassador joined numerous 
representatives from the Moscow diplomatic community at the 
cathedral, and spoke with longtime religious freedom advocate 
Rabbi Adolph Schneier at the ceremony. 
 
Non-Orthodox Religious Leaders Mourn His Loss 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Numerous religious leaders from outside the 
Orthodox community gathered to pay their last respects to 
Patriarch Aleksey.  Roman Catholic Church (RCC) Roger 
Cardinal Etchegaray and Walter Cardinal Kasper represented 
the Holy See.  Russian Council of Muftis head Ravil Gaynutdin 
recognized Aleksey's "defense of truth" and efforts to 
separate religion from extremism, terrorism, and crime.  He 
also noted that Aleksey always supported Muslims, even when 
"the West had shown disrespect for them and when 'cartoon 
scandals' flared up."  Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar 
remembered his cooperation with Aleksey at international 
religious forums, noting that Aleksey earned the respect of 
all who knew him.  Russian Union of Evangelical 
Christians-Baptists (REUCB) President Yuri Sipko praised the 
Patriarch's "massive, unifying role in the creation of peace 
and consensus during the travail of Russian society in the 
1990's." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Patriarch Bartholomew I's role in officiating the 
liturgy indicates a possible end to the tensions between 
Moscow and Constantinople surrounding Ukrainian President 
Yuschenko's desire to move the Ukrainian Autocephalous 
Orthodox Church away from the Moscow Patriarchate.  The 
notable absence of Pope Benedict XVI will not set back 
Catholic-Orthodox relations, but does reflect the long road 
ahead in building ties of mutual respect and trust between 
the two churches, with Aleksey's term marked by an 
unwillingness to host the Pope in Moscow.  ROC officials told 
us on December 9 that the Holy Synod will not meet on 
December 10 as originally planned, delaying any election 
timetable. 
BEYRLE