Associated Press: Russian patriarch blesses new Paris church, a Putin project

Published Dec. 5, 2016 at 11:31 am

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Patriarch of Russia Kirill (R) as they attend the opening ceremony of the monument to Vladimir the Great in Moscow on November 4, 2016, as part of celebrations marking Russian National Unity Day.

Photo by AFP

PARIS (AP) — The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrated a prominent new church Sunday near the Eiffel Tower seen as a controversial symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence in Europe.

Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin, led the elaborate sanctifying ceremony in the Saint Trinity Church on the banks of the Seine River, the gold-domed centerpiece of a 100 million euro ($106 million) complex owned by the Russian government that will include a cultural center and a school.