NIZHNY NOVGOROD, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - The head of Russia's Orthodox Church said on Friday that Russia needed nuclear weapons.

Speaking in the Volga Region town of Sarov, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said that while the Church was in favor of "a world without weapons," Russia required nuclear arms to ensure that it was able to "remain a sovereign state."

Sarov is the center of Russia's nuclear weapon industry and closed to foreigners.

Speaking before several thousand young people, the patriarch said "the reason for war is sin and evil in man's heart," and that peace can only be guaranteed by "fighting against sin."

"You can have excellently developed systems of international law, international organizations, but fall into the abyss of war," he added.

This is not the first time the Orthodox Church has shown its support for weapons of mass destruction. In 2007, a prayer service was held in central Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Russia's nuclear complex.