Patriarch Kirill spoke about the consequences of treason against the Motherland

A national consensus on key issues of the existence of the state is mandatory, and leaving it can be considered treason with legal consequences. This was announced on January 7 by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.

The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that it is impossible to reach agreement on all issues nationwide, but there are basic values around which society should be united.

"There are concepts that are related to the very ability and possibility of the state to exist. There must be a public consensus around these ideas, these concepts," he said in an interview with TASS CEO Andrey Kondrashov.

The Patriarch stressed that the rejection of such unity carries serious consequences.

"If someone falls out of this consensus, then there is such a definition — a traitor to the Motherland with all the legal consequences that follow from this," the Patriarch said.

He added that a consensus should be formed around security issues, including spiritual and moral values based on Russia's traditional religions.

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Festive divine services were held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and in hundreds of other metropolitan churches.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that Patriarch Kirill declared Russia's rejection of Western values, which, according to him, are aimed at destroying morality. He stressed that the basis of morality is God's law embedded in human nature, and Russia stands up for traditional values that differ from Western approaches.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.