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Russian Orthodox Church head dies Russian Orthodox Church head dies
(10 minutes later)
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexiy II, has died, Church officials say.The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexiy II, has died, Church officials say.
The patriarch died on Friday morning, aged 79, the Church told the BBC.The patriarch died on Friday morning, aged 79, the Church told the BBC.
They did not give a reason and the date of the funeral has not yet been set. He had been sick for some time. They did not give a reason and the date of the funeral has not yet been set. He had been sick for some time and died at his residence outside Moscow.
More soon. The patriarch helped restore the moral authority of the Russian Orthodox Church after decades of repression under communism.
But relations with the Roman Catholic Church remained frosty and he refused repeatedly to meet former Pope John Paul II or his successor Benedict XVI.