Russian Orthodox Priests Pose With Cats For 2016 Calendar

Russian Orthodox Cat Calendar 2016 - NBC News

Russian Orthodox Beads may be one thing, but in the hands of priests, a powerful element may be the mighty house cat. As a lover of cats myself, I am thrilled to see this tidbit of news. The church may be conservative on a lot of things, but you know what? This makes them seem so much softer, right?

The calendar has a dozen of Russian Orthodox priests in place for 2016, posing with their pet cats. The calendar is called “Priest and Cats” translated from the Russian words “Pop and Kot”.

Selling for 990 rubles ($14.30) each, the calendar has become an online hit and has been featured in the country's top newspapers and news site. Its success has caught Loutchenko by surprise. "It was a grassroots initiative, pure creativity," the religious affairs journalist told told NBC News. "We did not expect such a reaction." The cover of 2016 "Priests and Cats" calendar. Since it was published, the calendar's creators received calls from more priests saying they also have cats and would have loved to pose for a shoot. 

- NBC News

This definitely shows off a softer side of the Russian Orthodox Priests. You can read more about this via NBC News above.