On Tuesday Russia bid farewell to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II.

Orthodox leaders from all over the world and top Russian government officials attended the funereal ceremony in Moscow. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin both paid their final respects.

The service was held at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, near Kremlin where the patriarch's body was laid in an open casket surrounded by flowers and candles. After the service a hearse carried Alexy II's coffin towards the city's Epiphany Cathedral for burial.

The ceremony was led by bishop, Kiril, who has been elected the Church's temporary leader.

"He inherited a church that was weakened by decades of repression.... Now he is leaving behind a church that is strong," he said in a tribute to Alexy.

Traffic jams blocked many locations in downtown Moscow due to numerous street closures and the crowd of 80,000 attending the funeral, Moscow police reported.

Russian media broadcast the funeral ceremony live and cancelled entertainment shows at the request of President Medvedev.

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