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12 January 2007, 14:27White Army General Kappel may be canonized in future
Moscow, January 12, Interfax - White Army General Vladimir Kappel, whose remains are due to be reburied in Moscow on Saturday, may be canonized pending further confirmation of his sanctity, the Moscow Patriarchate says.
"The canonization, or glorification, of General Kappel is currently being affected by the use of his glorious name in the historical and historiographical context," archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for inter-relations with the Armed Forces, said at a press conference in Moscow.
Earlier he said that the remains of the general, discovered by a Russian forensic team in Harbin in early December, had been undisturbed. All bones, excluding his amputated feet, are well preserved. His beard and hair are so well preserved that one can "recognize Kappel by his haircut." His uniform and epaulets were also undamaged.
"The complete undamaged state of the remains is of course a miracle, considering that Kappel lay in the ground for 86 years," the priest said.
Official Church canonization currently "has no important role, it has not been discussed," he said. Prince Dmitry Donskoy was canonized only 600 years after his death, he said.
Reburial of Kappel's remains will be held on Saturday morning in the necropolis of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow.
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