Russia Archives

Parolin’s visit to Russia key step in Pope Francis’s courtship of Putin

July 21, 2017

The second highest-ranking official in the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is preparing for his August trip to Russia. The historic event represents a key step in Pope Francis’s courtship with President Putin, with one eye pointed toward ambitious ecumenical possibilities with the Orthodox Church and the other fixed on the Middle East.

James Comey makes appearance with his father at New Jersey parish

Former FBI Director James Comey, who recently made headlines for his testimony regarding President Trump, was seen accompanying his father to Mass at a New Jersey Catholic Church. Comey regularly attended the church when he was a boy, but is now a member of the United Methodist Church.

Saint’s relics are a miraculous must-see in secular Russia

Xenia Loutchenko, a Moscow-based commentator on church affairs, said, “The thing is, people don’t have much to hope for with the current state of our health care, what people hear from doctors and bureaucrats: They have nothing else to rely on, other than to go and pray.”

After Trump’s meeting with Pope, NATO and G-7 summits await
- Pope/Trump, Vatican
- May 23, 2017
After meeting Pope Francis, U.S. President Donald Trump will attend a NATO summit in Brussels, before returning to Italy for a G-7 meeting in Sicily. Church leaders will be watching both events closely, to see how Trump will try and manage international affairs.
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US commission: Russia a major violator of religious freedom
- Global Church, Religion News Service
- April 30, 2017
USCIRF’s list this year differs from its 2016 list with the addition of Russia, but also the dropping of Egypt and Iraq, a move that may surprise some given continuing deadly attacks on Christians in those countries.
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Russian cosmonaut takes relic of Orthodox saint into space
- Associated Press, Global Church
- April 13, 2017
Although Russia was officially atheistic for 70 years under Communist rule, the Russian Orthodox faith has experienced a revival in the years since, with a strong majority of Russians now identifying themselves as Christian. The latest sign of that fervor is cosmonaut Sergei Ryzhikov, who returned to earth from the International Space Station Wednesday saying he’d taken a relic of an Orthodox saint with him into space.
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