Orthodox join Moscow’s anti-corruption battle

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has pledged to help his country’s rulers combat corruption, in the latest sign of growing church-state links, writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

“Our Church can help the state fight corruption more effectively, since it educates people in the spirit of evangelical values and the highest moral requirements,” Patriarch Kirill said at a ceremony in Danilov Monastery, in Moscow, to sign the anti-corruption deal with Russia’s Accounts Chamber. He said the Church was happy to support the Chamber, appointed by Russia’s Federal Assembly, to help rebuild “society’s moral climate”.