Russian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Katyn Memorial

Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow has visited the Katyn Memorial in Russia's Smolensk region to pay his respects to the memory of the many thousands of Russians and Poles executed there by the Soviet government. As part of his visit to the memorial the patriarch celebrated the Sunday Liturgy in the memorial Church of the Resurrection. More here and here.

Kiev Patriarchate Appeals to Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Unity Dialogue

In an appeal to the hierarchy of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church the Holy Synod of the Kiev Patriarchate has accused the Moscow Patriarchate of remaining a tool of state interests in the former USSR and called for the beginning of a serious dialogue aimed at the establishment of a united, independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church centered in Kiev. (The Kiev Patriarchate has apparently forgotten that its own patriarch was himself closely associated with the Soviet regime and was raised to his rank with the collusion of the post-Soviet Ukrainian government.) More here and (in Ukrainian) here.

Russian Orthodox Buildings in Jerusalem to be Repurchased

Two wealthy Russian businessmen have agreed to help the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society purchase the Hostel of St. Sergius and the old headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem from the Israeli government, which currently uses them to house the Ministry of Agriculture and various other agencies.

The properties were expropriated from the original Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission under the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and given to the Moscow Patriarchate, which under Soviet pressure allowed them to be sold to Israel in exchange for a shipment of oranges.

An agreement has already been reached in principle with the Israeli government and it is hoped that the properties will be legally returned to the Russian Orthodox Church sometime in 2012. More here.

Pictured is St. Sergius' Hostel, which currently houses the Ministry of Agriculture.

Medvedev Calls for Multiculturalism in Russia

During a visit to Bashkortostan, a member republic of the Russian Federation, President Dmitriy Medvedev called for a return to the more idealistic values of the Soviet Union that called for all of the country's many nations to work together to build a better future, also saying that it is "categorically unacceptable to allow into governmental service those who have a criminal record for crimes of an inter-ethnic nature." His statement comes as rising ethnic and religious tension continues to grow in Moscow and Russian Transcaucasia. More here.

ROCOR Clergymen Call for Full Access to Russian State Archives

Bishop Agapit (Gorachek) of Stuttgart and other clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia have called on the Russian government to allow historians complete access to the country's state archives to end the falsification of history begun under the Soviet regime. More here.

Putin Speaks on Russian Sexual Minorities

Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has stated that the federal govenrment has no objection to the presence of sexual minorities in the country, but that it is focusing its efforts on promoting marriage and procreation because of the severe demographic issues facing Russia. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union violent clashes have taken place between human rights activists and anti-gay protesters on numerous occasions, but the legal restrictions placed on homosexuality during the Soviet era have been repealed. More on Prime Minister Putin's statement here.

23,000 Churches Restored Since 1991

In a recent meeting Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow noted that some 23,000 churches have been restored and reopened in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the end of the Soviet era only 7,000 churches remained open, at least half of them in the Ukraine. Despite this the work of restoring Russia's churches is ongoing and the country still has far too few churches for the number of Orthodox Christians. More here.