Head of Russia’s Orthodox Church tests positive for COVID-19, suffers severe symptoms

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Church’s press service said on Friday.

The Church said Kirill, 75, had cancelled all his planned trips and events as he was suffering “severe symptoms” requiring bed rest and isolation. It said his condition was “satisfactory”.

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Under Kirill, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and supporter of the war in Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church has become a powerful political player, championing Russia’s turn towards conservative social values.