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Father Hieromonk Ioan, a member of the Kyiv monastery, said that the clergy there were not loyal to Moscow but did not shy away from the close historic ties with Russia.

Father Hieromonk Ioan said that the clergy there simply wanted to pray in peace.

“Under the Bolsheviks, when the conditions were completely different and the authorities were up against the church and they decided to eradicate Christianity from the streets of Russia, still the sacraments were held whenever they could,” said Hieromonk Macarios of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk diocese, about 200 miles northeast of Moscow.

The church's secretary for inter-Christian relations, Hieromonk Stefan, also had concern for the safety of Notre Dame's most precious relic, venerated as the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ.

The church’s secretary for inter-Christian relations, Hieromonk Stefan, also had concern for the safety of Notre Dame’s most precious relic, venerated as the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ.