On July 6, 2011, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society held a grand meeting on the occasion of its initiator V. Khitrovo’s birthday, at the building of the Russian Federation Audit Chamber.
The IOPS president Mr. S. Stepashin made a report on the work carried out by this international public organization and presented awards to some of the Society’s members including those of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, chairman of the ROC Publishing Board, and Archbishop Mark of Yegorievsk, director of the Moscow Patriarchate’s office for overseas institutions and vice-president of the Society, were awarded the Commemorative Badge of Honour.
The Commemorative Badge of the Vasily Khitrovo Medal was awarded to Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, economic manager of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, a vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations and member of the IOPS Board.
Among those awarded the same medal are Mr. Yevgeny Primakov, honorary member of the IOPS, and Mr. M. Bogdanov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister.