Head of Russia's Orthodox Church calls on people to rally around authorities

FILE PHOTO: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia conducts a service to consecrate the renovated Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother of God in Rostov-on-Don, Russia October 27, 2019. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov/File Photo

(Reuters) - The head of Russia's Orthodox Church called on people on Sunday to rally around the authorities as Moscow pursues its military intervention in Ukraine.

Patriarch Kirill has previously made statements defending Moscow's actions in Ukraine and views the war as a bulwark against a Western liberal culture that he considers decadent.