RUSSIAN PATRIARCH BLESSES NEW RECRUITS.

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksei II has given his blessing to the young draftees of 1995. In his address to the new soldiers, the Patriarch called on them "to serve the Motherland with valor and dignity by defending it from internal and external enemies." (6)

The Russian Orthodox Church has increased its activity in the armed forces since signing an agreement last year with the Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs on "spiritual cooperation."

Russia To Use Commercial Bank Funds to Buy Grain.