Seems a little like some kind of drunk fantasy Putin would have. St. Putin? Really?
But I agree that we are seeing Christianity shift geographically in a huge way.
Middle East ——> Africa
Western Europe & America ——> Eastern Europe & Asia
Just look at the explosive growth in China.
Christianity really shouldn’t be as divided as it is today. Its not like our texts are so obscure that they are open to a variety of interpretations. We just have a lot of people who want to ‘modernize’ the Word with radical left wing theory. How anyone could reconcile infanticide with Christianity is a mystery to me.
Whatever aids in the growth and flourishing of the faith is good in my book, and we need to start clearing out detritus like the Universalist Unitarians.
That growth stems from the people and the Chicoms have slapped it down by nationalizing the Catholic Church, separating it from the See of Peter. In so doing, those catholics who adhere to authentic teaching have been forced underground where they continue to suffer persecution and martyrdom.
As for the shift from the Middle East to Africa, here again, it not a loss of faith but persecution that has resulted in christians fleeing from their homelands. Insofar as Africa, here too, persecution prevails. Consider, for example, the situation with St. Bakhita. Bakhita's story of a slave who was forced to convert to Islam and later chose Christianity represents a conflict between Christianity and Islam. In May 1992 news of her beatification was banned by Khartoum which Pope John Paul II then personally visited only nine months later. On 10 February 1993, facing all risks, surrounded by an immense crowd in the huge Green Square of the capital of Sudan, he solemnly honored Bakhita on her own soil. "Rejoice, all of Africa! Bakhita has come back to you. The daughter of Sudan sold into slavery as a living piece of merchandise and yet still free. Free with the freedom of the saints."
As for Western Europe and America, freedom to worship also equals freedom not to do so. However, should the government outright ban worship, there would be a ground swell to restore it. We are beginning to see the effects of oppressive government on the French. Suddenly, they are waking from their reverie and reclaiming their christian legacy.
Putin is very dedicated to restoring Russia as a world power. Uniting Christianity would definitely help in this, with minimal cost and maximum benefit. And because the west has become so disdainful of Christianity, it is a golden opportunity for him.