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Tsars' descendant to attend Russian Church's unity act

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, regarded by many as head of the Russian imperial family, is arriving in Moscow on Wednesday to attend the signing ceremony of a key unity pact between the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

In a letter to Maria Vladimirovna, Kirill, who is metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and head of the external relations department of the Moscow Patriarchate, said the grand duchess' presence at the ceremony would be "evidence of the revival of ancient Russian traditions and of the reunification of our people, who were at one time divided by the revolution and the civil war."