Patriarch who revived Russian Orthodox Church dies

Fri Dec 5, 2008
By Michael Stott

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Patriarch Alexiy II, a staunch conservative who revived Russia's Orthodox Church after the collapse of communism and forged close links with the Kremlin, died on Friday at the age of 79.

The Moscow Patriarchy said Alexiy, who led the powerful church for 18 years, died at his residence in Peredelkino, a former Soviet writers' colony outside Moscow.

The official cause of death was heart failure but diplomats said he had been suffering from cancer. The day before his death, Alexiy officiated at a religious ceremony in Moscow. the rest