On the eve of Christmas holiday

Rather long and detailed has turned out to be the meeting between President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and representatives of the Kazan diocese of Russian Orthodox Church headed by its leader Archbishop of Kazan and Tatarstan Anastasy that had passed at the Kazan Kremlin on January 6, on the eve of light Christmas holiday.

Today in Tatarstan, 188 organizations of the Kazan diocese of Russian Orthodox Church are effective, the services are conducted in 176 cult buildings. For last decade 112 churches have been returned to the believers of republic, 93 of which are considered as monuments of history and culture. As Archbishop of Kazan and Tatarstan Anastasy has noted, that on today there has left only several non-returned temples in republic. Besides, recently number of parishes continues to increase already for the account of newly constructed. Almost in all parishes of the republic, and their number by the end of year totaled about 160, restoration works are underway or already completed.

Meetings on the eve of Great Cristmas holiday have became already traditional ones. Problems exist always, but it is important, that we succeed to develop further in direction which you consider necessary in order to reach human souls, President of Tatarstan noted. We try to solve together these issues, and, I think, the main acquisition for all these years - our mutual understanding, peaceful co-existence of large religions in territory of the republic.

Recently I had to be engaged with problems of returning the icon of Kazan Divine Mother. I have been so involved in this that had felt sharply disagreements between Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches, Mintimer Shaymiev noticed. It would be desirable, that mutual understanding between then could be achieved.

For last year the Kazan diocese has done quite much. Restoration and civil work are proceeding in the temples of Almetyevsk, Jalil, Aktuba, Serafima Sarovsky's temple in Gorky microdistrict of Kazan.A real decoration of new microdistrict of Tatarstan capital has become a wooden temple of Christmas (on street. Adoratskaya ) constructed last year, one more temple consecrated in village Kurkul of Alekseevsky region Last two, in unanimous opinion of the meeting participants could serve as samples at building the temples in regional centers and small settlements of the republic. These are fine temples, Mintimer Shaimiev said, and suggested to show these constructions to heads of city and region administrations of Tatarstan that can become a push to raising the temples in those regional centers where Orthodox believers do not have for a while the opportunity to pray in beautiful churches.