MEPhI students oppose the installation of an Orthodox cross on the site of a student’s sculpture in the institute’s courtyard

On March 4, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' visited the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI). In preparation for this visit, the university management removed the monument to the “MYTHICAL STUDENT” from the courtyard of the institute and installed an Orthodox cross in its place. This caused dissatisfaction among many students.

“Rector Mikhail Strikhanov simply didn’t give a damn about the secular character of the university and the opinion of students, putting an end to this,” Gazeta quotes MEPhI graduate Marina. “I have a normal attitude towards Orthodoxy, and towards the patriarch, and towards believers. However, I don’t like it when religion is trying to influence science. Crosses look good in churches, not in the courtyard of institutes."

A group of students prepared an appeal to the prosecutor's office demanding the removal of the cross.

On the day of the patriarch's visit, students were planning to hold a protest - the funeral of the "MYTHICAL STUDENT", but were unable to do so due to the large number of security guards. It was decided to postpone the event.

Let us recall that in October 2009, an anti-clerical action took place at St. Petersburg State University.

Sources

• Nasyrov E. The Patriarch’s visit provoked a riot in the “personnel forge” of the Russian nuclear industry // Newspaper. 2010. March 4.