More than one-third of Russians can't name the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, according to the recent poll.

      Thirty-five percent of Russians were unable to remember the name of the top clerical person of the country, mainly young people (52 per cent) and residents of big cities (47 per cent), the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion on Social and Economic Issues (VTsIOM) poll reveals.

      Some 45 percent of those polled called Patriarch Kirill a spiritual leader of the nation. Only 9 per cent said they regard him as a statesman.

      The poll is composed after questioning 1,600 people in 138 towns and 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

      Patriarch Kirill, whose secular name is Vladimir Gundyayev, was elected to head the Russian Orthodox Church in January 2009. This Tuesday, November 21, he turned 66.