The III Forum of the Orthodox Community of the RT was held in Kazan

(KZN.RU, November 24). Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, took part in the III Forum of the Orthodox Community of the RT, which opened on the site of the GTRK “Korston” today.

Mikhail Babich, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the RF in the Volga Federal District, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, Theophan, the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan, representatives of the Federal Agency for Nationalities and the Russian Orthodox Church visited the forum.

Guests and participants of the forum were shown a documentary, dedicated to the development of Orthodoxy in Tatarstan in 2015-2017. After that, Mikhail Babich addressed the audience with a salutatory word. He noted that such a forum is in many aspects an unprecedented event, a good platform for jointly discussing many issues.

Mikhail Babich reminded that today 43 dioceses, more than 4 thousand parishes operate in the regions of the Volga Federal District. In addition, 25 Orthodox gymnasiums and schools, 6 theological seminary, and 8 spiritual schools work in the Volga Federal District. Since 2015, the contest “Orthodox teacher” is held in the district, in which 740 teachers have already participated. The Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the RF in the PFD also reported that in 2014-2017, 191 cult constructions were transferred from a municipal property in the regions of the Volga Federal District.

Rustam Minnikhanov noted that a serious work preceded the forum: meetings of the clergy, meetings with the parish's assets. “Time has shown that this format of communication is in demand and finds the broad support of believers”, said the head of the RT. “It is gratifying that the resolution of the previous forum was implemented in the main areas. This confirms the high efficiency of our joint work”. Rustam Minnikhanov noted the great contribution of clergymen into the matter of preserving peace and calm in a multinational republic.

It was symbolic for the Tatarstan Metropolia to recreate the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and also the Bulgarian Islamic Academy, said Rustam Minnikhanov. “There is the growing awareness in the society that religious revival is a solid foundation for our well-being and prosperity”, noted the President. “A lot of work is being done to revive historical shrines. The result of many years of work was the inclusion of the Assumption Cathedral and the monastery of the island Sviyazhsk in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This ancient monastery is equally dear not only to the Orthodox but to all Tatarstan residents”.

Rustam Minnikhanov reminded that significant works on the revival of Kazan Cathedral were carried out with the participation of Tatarstan. An important event was the opening of the monument to Metropolitan Andrian, the native of Kazan, in which Metropolitan Kornelius, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, took part.

“All the necessary conditions have been created in Tatarstan for the realization of religious needs”, said Rustam Minnikhanov. “Their foundation is the agreement on cooperation, signed in 2015 between the Government of Tatarstan, the Muslim Religious Board, the Tatarstan Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Kazan-Vyatka Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. I am convinced that by our joint efforts, we will achieve even greater success in the development of spirituality and the strengthening of interreligious and interethnic peace and harmony in society”, said the President of the RT.

Within the framework of the III Forum of the Orthodox Community of the RT, Rustam Minnikhanov was awarded the Order of “Glory and Honor” of the II degree of the Russian Orthodox Church. The decree on conferring the award was signed by Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, reports the press service of the President of the RT.