Not everyone’s appalled by Moscow’s strict crack-down on Saturday’s gay-pride parade — which resulted in the arrest of both international activists and opponents of the parade.  Take for instance the glowing thanks issued by the Russian Orthodox Church yesterday:

…Head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said the authorities “quite politely prevented an instance of propaganda of homosexuality which could have been witnessed by children and teenagers who crowded the two venues of the action.”

He expressed hope that in the future the authorities of Russia and Moscow in similar cases “will listen to the voice of their own people, the majority of whom do not accept the propaganda of homosexuality, instead of foreign pressure that was exerted before the action and continues now.”

The clergyman said that on the basis “of an absolutely clear moral choice of the people” Russia can restrict any propaganda actions. “I am deeply convinced of that. International organizations and especially the governments of countries with whom we have different histories and different social systems should realize that,” Father Vsevolod said.

“One should not respond to illegal actions by other illegal actions,” he added.