Russian Orthodox Church head lashes out at pagan-cosplaying Natalia Poklonskaya and ‘toxic’ Halloweenie schoolchildren

In a speech on Thursday, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church warned against what he called attempts to “revive paganism,” saying neopaganism has infiltrated certain “military circles” in Russia.

Patriarch Kirill singled out former Crimea Prosecutor General and State Duma deputy Natalia Poklonskaya, who made waves this week when she appeared in photos dressed in Celtic garb and face paint to celebrate the Gaelic festival of Samhain.

The Orthodox high priest also complained that Russian schools have continued to celebrate Halloween, with some even disguising the “toxic” Western holiday behind a Slavic renaming. “This substitution of values, falsification of national history, and diminishing of Christianity’s role in building our nation’s statehood is, in a way, a challenge to the true values of the Russian World,” Patriarch Kirill said.