Orthodox patriarch: Pay heed to protesters

MOSCOW, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The head of the Russian Orthodox Church said Saturday protesters have a right to express themselves and warned the government to listen to them.

Patriarch Kirill issued his warning in an interview on the government-operated Rossiya-1 television channel, RIA Novosti reported. He was speaking during the Orthodox Christmas celebration.

"It would be a very bad sign if the authorities remain insensitive to the sentiments of the protests -- a sign of their inflexibility," Kirill said. "The authorities must readjust … and change their policies. Society must have the right to express its dissatisfaction."

Mass demonstrations have been held in Moscow and other large cities since the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections. Protesters charge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party engaged in election fraud.

The government has responded by trying to ban some demonstrations and to arrest protest leaders. It has also charged that video clips appearing to show manipulation of election results have been doctored.

Kirill said the situation in Russia under Putin, the former and presumably future president, is not comparable to the absolute rule off the czar before the 1917 revolution or of Communist autocrats under the Soviet Union. He suggested the country's history in the 20th century has left its citizens too "exhausted" for violent unrest.