London: Despite decades of repression under the Soviet rule, Russia's Orthodox Church has endorsed President Vladimir Putin's "hand-picked" successor ahead of the next month's presidential polls in that country.

The Church's patriarch, Alexei II, has expressed his support for Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as Russia's presidential candidate to ensure that the remarkable religious revival does not fade with Putin's departure, The Daily Telegraph reported today.

The influence of Alexei II's support on Russia's estimated 100 million Orthodox worshippers is immense and it also illustrates "the unholy alliance the Church has forged with the Kremlin since Putin came to power eight years ago", the report said.

Putin has allowed the Orthodox Church to regain much of its Tsarist-era lustre and has won the enthusiastic support of religious leaders in return. "Essentially, the Orthodox Church is one of the only Soviet institutions that has never been reformed," an unnamed priest was quoted as saying. The support came as Putin yesterday presented his protege to leaders of other ex-Soviet nations, promising to maintain his course.

The President said that Medvedev helped draft Russia's policy on relations with the ex-Soviet neighbours and would continue it if he gets elected. "I believe there won t be any revolutionary changes just because Dmitry Anatolyevich (Medvedev) has been one of the authors of Russian policy in this sphere," Putin told leaders of 11 other ex-Soviet nations in Moscow.

Source : PTI