Goodwill gesture: Italy returns church to Russia
Russia Today
02 Marzo 2009
Italy is returning to Russia ownership of an Orthodox church in its southern city of Bari. This is seen as a goodwill gesture towards Moscow and the Orthodox faithful.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev travelled to Italy for the hand-over ceremony where he received the keys to the church from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
The return of the church seeks to boost ties between the two countries as well as improve the often tense Roman Catholic–Russian Orthodox relations.
It is also expected to boost tourism to Bari, bringing more pilgrims. Russian pilgrims flock to Italy over Orthodox Saint’s remains.
The small southern Italian town of Bari has become increasingly popular among many Russians, not only for its warm climate, but also because of religion, as it holds the relics of the Orthodox saint – St. Nicholas.
Podvorye, one of the most venerated sites in Russian Orthodoxy, is to be …
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