Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill quizzes penguin during trip to Antarctica
Religious leader befriends the bird after it comes up to greet him on a beach
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has quizzed a penguin he met on a trip to Antarctica.
Patriarch Kirill was visiting Russia’s Bellinghausen Station on King George’s Island when he encountered the bird which came up to him during a trip to a beach.
Asking him “What, little one? What’s troubling you?”, the Patriarch knelt to greet the bold animal which seemed to confront him, holding out its wings and sticking out its neck.
A photograph of the encounter released by the Church quickly went viral with Twitter users engaging in an “impromptu caption contest”, the Guardian reports.
“The patriarch meets Kowalski” said one - referring to a penguin character in the children’s movie Madagascar.
Patriarch Kirill, who is the first head of the Russian church to visit the continent, was visiting the research facility home to 30 scientists to deliver a sermon at its makeshift Orthodox church.
It follows his historic meeting with Pope Francis in Cuba last week.
The meeting was the first time the head of the two churches meet in nearly 1,000 years following the “Great Schism” in 1054.
The pontiff said “we are brothers” as he embraced his Russian counterpart in Cuba’s Havana airport.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments