Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again sought the "blessing" and support of the Moscow Patriarchate for the ongoing war against Ukraine while attending the Divine Liturgy on Eastern Orthodox Christmas Day, celebrated by Patriarch Kirill in Moscow.

The meeting took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Jan. 7 to celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar, the website of the Moscow Patriarchate reported.

Kirill who heads the Russian Orthodox said that the Western world harbors hatred toward Russia and the "alternative path of civilized development" it has chosen, according to the Orthodox Times.

A vocal supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kirill blessed religious icons and crosses that will bear President Putin's initials, intended for soldiers fighting in Ukraine for the past 34 months, according to Russian news agencies citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"Russia is a provocation for powerful countries, not because of its nuclear capabilities or its strength," Kirill said, according to news agencies.

"They hate us because we offer a different, alternative path of civilized development," Kirill remarked in the cathedral, rebuilt in the 1990s on the site of a swimming pool, following its destruction by then Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in the 1930s.

"The West is in moral meltdown," said the Patriarch, noting that Russia has shown the world how to combine science and culture with literacy and faith.

"They cannot defeat us, no matter how hard they try through defamation or by forming coalitions aimed at weakening Russia. None of this will succeed because God is with us," he concluded.

Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, following the Julian calendar.

Meanwhile, the archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, prominent lay people, have called on the Russian Orthodox Church to cease support for Moscow's Ukraine war, the Greek website ekathimerini.com reported on Jan. 10.

They released a statement on Jan. 8 urging the Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Kirill, to end their support for Russia's war in Ukraine and cease interference in other regions, particularly Africa.