St. Petersburg Diocese Opening Youth Rehabilitation Center

The Eparchy of St. Petersburg has opened the first rehabilitation center for juvenile prisoners in Russia. The center will be opened in a prison near St. Petersburg in cooperation with the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation. More here.

Russian Prisons Opened to Orthodox Church

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow and A.A. Reymer, head of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, have signed an agreement allowing the Russian Orthodox Church to provide pastoral care to prisoners throughout the country. Under the agreement the Church will be able to minister to the spiritual needs of prisoners and also maintain churches and chapels at prisons as need dictates. More here.