This picture of Aleksei A. Navalny’s physique in a coffin, at a church in southern Moscow, conveys most of the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, an establishment that has sure itself carefully to the Kremlin however that additionally counted opposition figures, together with Mr. Navalny, amongst its trustworthy.
“I, to my disgrace, am a typical post-Soviet believer,” Mr. Navalny mentioned in an interview in 2012. “I maintain fasts, I received baptized at church, however I’m going to church fairly hardly ever.”
Being an Orthodox Christian, he mentioned, made him really feel “like I’m a part of one thing massive and shared.”
He added: “I like that there are particular ethics and self-restraints. On the identical time, it doesn’t hassle me in any respect that I exist in a predominantly atheistic atmosphere. Till I used to be 25 years previous, earlier than the beginning of my first youngster, I actually was such an ardent atheist that I used to be able to seize the beard of any priest.”
These remarks mirrored the circumstances of many Russians who got here of age because the Soviet Union broke aside and because the Russian Orthodox Church once more rose to prominence in public life.
During the last twenty years, the church has tied itself carefully to the more and more conservative and nationalist views espoused by President Vladimir V. Putin. That has compelled critics like Mr. Navalny, and pockets of progressive believers, to attempt to reconcile their political dissent and their religion.
The church in southern Moscow the place the Mass was held — the Church of the Icon of the Mom of God Soothe My Sorrows — isn’t removed from the place Mr. Navalny lived till 2017 and the place his household had an condo.
Within the picture, Mr. Navalny’s father, Anatoly, sits dealing with the coffin. To the fitting of him is Mr. Navalny’s mom, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and a lady who some Russian media stories recognized as his mother-in-law, a relative who has stayed away from the general public eye.
Mr. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, and his youngsters didn’t seem like current. Ms. Navalnaya has vowed to hold on her husband’s political actions, which exposes her to arrest, and she or he and their youngsters not reside in Russia. His brother Oleg, who served time in jail in what was extensively seen as a punishment for Mr. Navalny’s political actions, was additionally absent.
The Russian Orthodox Church has formally embraced Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which Mr. Navalny vehemently denounced. Patriarch Kirill, the church’s prime official, has blessed troopers being despatched off to conflict and mentioned that those that combat for his or her nation shall be rewarded in heaven.
Nevertheless, the Orthodox church is comparatively decentralized, so whilst Mr. Putin cracked down on opposition and dissent, progressive monks stay at some parishes. Monks who’ve voiced opposition to the conflict have confronted recriminations, in some circumstances expulsion, from church authorities, and even arrest.
The church the place Mr. Navalny’s funeral rites came about has additionally appeared to endorse the conflict. Photos shared on its social media pages in current weeks introduced that parishioners had donated a automobile to the troopers combating in what the Kremlin calls its “particular army operation,” and arranged letter writing campaigns for the troops. It additionally marketed a visit by parishioners and their youngsters to a grand Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, which opened in 2020 and has turn out to be a logo of the militarization of Russian society.
