MOSCOW. May 14 (Interfax) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexi II believes that the re-unification of the Russian church in mainland Russia and abroad is a major step towards mending the split caused by the civil war, which forced millions of people to flee their homeland and live in exile.

"In the early 1960s, I met with Russian emigrants of the first wave in Paris, and I can say that all of them were nostalgic and hoped to return. But God ruled that this not be so. For the second and third generations of Russian emigrants, who are uniting and will have an opportunity to visit churches in their homeland, administer the Sacrament and live a full-fledged life - for them this is an event of great significance," the Patriarch told Vesti-24 television on Monday.

This is a historic event for the church and the state, for which we must thank God - "thank Him for helping us, at this time of spiritual rebirth, to gather stones recklessly thrown around in the past," His Holiness said.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church does not anticipate any complications in the everyday life of parishioners after the re- unification.

"If there are some traditions in foreign churches and dioceses that emerged in the past years and to which Russian emigrants have grown accustomed, we will carefully preserve them," the Patriarch said.

"We share a common attitude to our history and traditions This is further proof that the differences that separated us are not deep and can be solved with goodwill and Christian love," he said.