Medvedev to oversee return of Bari's Russian Church
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano will attend a ceremony to return a Russian orthodox church in the city of Bari to Russia on March 1.
The ceremony was originally due to take place on December 6 but was postponed because of the death on December 5 of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy II.
The new date was announced Monday by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin.
The church, dedicated to St Nicholas, was built in the early 20th century to welcome Russian pilgrims coming to the city to visit the 11th-century Basilica of St Nicholas, where the saint's relics lie.
It was later acquired by Bari city council.
The former Russian president and current premier, Vladimir Putin, made an official request for its return in March 2007 during an Italo-Russian summit in the city.
The church, which has been housing municipal offices, is expected to return to its original function following the handover.
Bari is the most popular destination in the world for Russian orthodox pilgrims, for whom St Nicholas holds great importance.
The ceremony was originally scheduled to coincide with the saint's feast day, December 6, marking the anniversary of his death in 333 AD.
Vatican and Russian Orthodox officials are also expected to attend the ceremony.
A fourth-century bishop in what is now Turkey, St Nicholas was famous for his generosity and later developed in some regions of the world into the figure of Santa Claus.
Sailors from Bari stole his remains from the ancient city of Myra in 1087.
Enjoyed this story? Share it with others:
It's a great diplomatic step
It's a great diplomatic step between Russia and Italy but more than this I think the pilgrims around the world are happy to hear the news: the church is open again and so it should stay. It does have a beautiful architecture, but then again all the churches are beautiful. I recently visited the church of Buddha Maitreya and it captivated me.
A small step forward. Now how
A small step forward. Now how about the Vatican returning the Saints relics to the Greeks. After that, the Vatican should so something about returning Constantinoble to the Greeks.
Don't forget that on the many occasions that the Muslim Turks were fighting Orthodox Christians, the Vatican never hesitated to give generous support and aid to the Muslim Turks. When Constantinoble fell in 1453 to the Turks, the Vatican cheered and the Pope called the Turks an ally! Then in 1920, after the fall of the Ottoman empire, Britain and Lloyd George wanted to return Constantinoble to the Greeks. And the Vatican again stepped in to support the Turks.
The Roman Catholic church has a long way to go to make amends. It has barely started.
Post new comment