cleric

His followers gave him the title of imam, an unusual honour for a living Shia cleric and one bestowed on him in recognition of his work on behalf of the Shia community.

A prominent Taliban cleric had publicly singled him out as an apostate — a traitor to Islam — placing a bullseye on his head.

Although both men have since died, the political movement inspired by the late cleric remains highly active and is regularly targeted by the authorities.

The crisis then escalated on Wednesday, when security services detained 16 people, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a senior cleric who leads the opposition Sacred Struggle movement.

When I ask Archpriest Father John Whiteford about Russia's top cleric, who many see as a warmonger, he assures me the Patriarch's words have been distorted.