Much of the Pussy Riot trial has focused on the shifting role of the Church from the Soviet era, but what’s less well known is the Church’s efforts to mute dissenters outside of Russia.
In the new Russia, where Putin attends Easter services in the capital’s main cathedral, it seems the era of religious repression is over—except if you are a Protestant.
The new Patriarch is considered a modernist, but his support for freedom of religion is spotty, and Russia’s fledgling gay rights movement will not find an ally in Kirill.