To Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin

“On behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church, I hail you, dear Joseph Vissarionovich, on the occasion of the upcoming New Year and I offer my prayers to the Lord; may he bless the peaceful labour of the peoples of our Fatherland under your wise leadership.

In line with the testaments of Jesus Christ, our Church carried out its patriotic duty in the horrendous time of the war; and now, in the days of blessed peace, the Church will continue doing its duty for the benefit of the Motherland”: Patriarch Alexy
The greeting was published in the first issue of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate in January.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy was enthroned in February 1945. A nobleman by blood, he served as an officer with the tsar’s forces.

During the Great Patriotic War, he was Metropolitan of Leningrad, remaining in the city and performing services as well as bearing the burden of the war along with the ordinary people and supporting them.

During Easter of 1946, Patriarch Alexy resumed services in the churches of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, which was returned to the Church. In the 1950s, he opposed an anti-religious campaign, and in 1961, he survived an attempted assassination.

 

Sources:

The website of the official publication of the Russian Orthodox Church the 'Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate'