Russian Priests to Give up Divine Services in Ancient Churches
25.03.2010
Museum authorities suggest that the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill divides all the churches into three categories: those where services can be led ad lib, those where certain safety precautions should be observed and where it is better not to hold services at all.
The last category covers all the buildings that are in a risky condition or have absolutely unique mural paintings.
This was reported by the director of Andrei Rublev Old Russian Culture Museum Gennady Popov, who had personally met the Patriarch and discussed the issue of conveyance of property from the state to the church. According to him, Metropolitan Kirill agreed to the idea of establishing a committee that would be comprised of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the museum community.
