IZO

The low-down on Metropolitan Kirill (Vladimir Gundlyaev), the likely successor to Patriarch Aleksi II, with biography, photos (avmalgin, in Russian):

Judging by the info, Mr Gundyaev can't fail to be appointed by the president's administration, he is suitable in all respects. He's friends with Putin, doesn't fall out with the rabbis, chats to the Pope, visits Fidel Castro in hospital, receives rock musicians at home and also, it seems, suits our "Empress" [presumably, Svetlana Medvedeva].

Reactions to the death of Aleksi II, including this one (mrparker, in Russian):

Malefactors kidnapped a two-month-old child who had been brought to the church by its parents to be christened. But when the service for the peace of the patriarch's soul began, the inconsolable parents found their child.

President Medvedev has requested that all entertainment programmes be banished from TV today because it's the day of Aleksi II's funeral (for this reason the Kandinsky Prize ceremony has been delayed). A quick survey of the blogosphere reveals that not everyone is happy with this policy. Designer Artemy Lebedev, for example, states that the ban on fun is an insult to his atheism; he has caused perturbation with his reproduction of a got-up poster-style image, below, the caption to which reads The Boss Summoned Him Suddenly (33 pages of comments on this at time of writing) (tema, in Russian). Anton Nosik has the result of a survey, in which about 60% of respondents agree with Lebedev (dolboeb, in Russian).

The ROC thinks that the tomb of Patriarch Aleksi II in the Elokhovsky Cathedral needs be fancier than the Alexei Shchusev-designed tomb of Patriarch Sergi II alongside (newsru.com, in Russian).

Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar and Chief Mufti Ravil Gainutdin have paid their respects to the late Aleksi II (Kursor, in Russian).

The Kandinsky Prize ceremony has been moved from 9 to 10 December (thanks, JV). The reason is the day of mourning for Aleksi II.

Biography of Aleksi II (BBC).

Aleksi II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, died at his residence in Peredelkino at 11 am this morning (BFM, in Russian).  Aleksei Mikhailovich Ridiger was born in Tallinn in 1929. He's a controversial figure under whose leadership, in recent years, the Orthodox Church has become a powerful force in Russia.

Apparently at the meeting referenced in the previous post, Patriarch Aleksi II announced the creation of an Orthodox Church cinema prize, to be awarded on 24 May 2009 (gazeta, in Russian).

The Orthodox Churches of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, part of the Georgian Orthodox Church, have applied to join the Russian church instead. The Russian church has turned down the request. Apparently the the Russian patriarch Aleksi II wishes to keep the Georgian church as an ally in the struggle for influence in the region (Kommersant, in Russian).