Speaking at the first conference of Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill expressed his hope that the Russian Cultural Center in Jericho would be fully operational by autumn of this year.
“It is clear that by this autumn, in time for the great anniversary of Jericho, this cultural center will be built,” the patriarch said, referring to the city’s upcoming celebrations of 10 centuries since its founding. Patriarch Kirill noted that this will be “the first major project in the Holy Lands implemented in the third millennium with the active assistance of the Russian state.”
Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Sergei Stepashin is being closely monitored and he has high hopes that Russian pilgrims will soon begin traveling to Jericho. The Audit Chamber, which Stepashin also heads, has reached an agreement with mayor of Jericho to place a plaque near the Zacchaeus sycamore tree noting the participation of the Russian state.
The patriarch also thanked the society for its effort to return historically Russian facilities in the Holy Lands as well as for the recent acquisition of a plot of land in Bethlehem where a cultural and business center will be built.
Russkiy Mir Foundation Information Service, russkiymir.ru