The Russian Orthodox Church called Saburov a man without respect for shrines because of jokes about Christ

On February 10, Vakhtang Kipshidze, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations and the Media of the Moscow Patriarchate, criticized comedian Nurlan Saburov for his jokes about Jesus Christ.

"Such "jokes" about Christ can only be allowed by a person who does not have a religious consciousness and respect for the sanctity of other people," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

Kipshidze added that the assessment of the decision banning Saburov from entering Russia is not within the competence of the Church.

Nurlan Saburov, comedian. Biography

Saburov was banned from entering Russia for 50 years on January 30. As noted on February 6, this decision was made in the interests of national security.

According to the Izvestia source, the comedian flew to Moscow from Dubai, and two air marshals followed him, who were supposed to forcibly pick him up for shipment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Later, the source said that Saburov refused Russian citizenship, citing "commercial risks."

Later, on February 8, Saburov deleted all posts on his Instagram page (owned by Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation) and addressed his fans. In his address, he recalled that his career as a comedian started 15 years ago in Yekaterinburg. Saburov added that over the years he had been "warmly and amicably" welcomed in many Russian cities.

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