Patriarch Kirill signed a decree demoting Priest Dmitry Safronov for holding a memorial ceremony at Alexei Navalny's grave. Safronov was barred from giving blessings, carrying a cross, or wearing the clerical cassock for three years, and his status was downgraded to a psalm reader.
The church gave no reason for the demotion, but Safronov, among clergymen demanding Navalny's body's return, was viewed as a politically motivated move by the Kremlin due to his opposition activities.
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