MOSCOW, may 2 – RIA Novosti. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, said the data on construction of new churches in Russia, noting that the previously announced figure in the “three temples in a day” applies to the entire Russian Orthodox Church, including its parishes abroad, and in Russia is being built in average of “one and a half to two temples a day.”
In 1988, the Soviet Union celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus, this time to talk about the revival of Church life in contemporary Russia. Earlier in the Russian Orthodox Church said that the average on the territory of historical Rus’, built three temples daily.
“This figure is three temples per day – reflects the dynamics of the construction of churches for the past 32 years, namely, 1988. Then the Russian Orthodox Church has about 6.5 thousand temples, and now nearly 40 thousand. We are not talking about Russia only, we are talking about the entire Russian Orthodox Church in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, in other countries, where there is a Russian Church,” – said the head of the Department for external Church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion.
He stressed that the data on the construction of three temples in a day relate to the entire Russian Church as a whole. “Of course, if we talk about construction of temples in Russia, this figure is less. Rather, it is a year and a half or two temples a day”, – said the Hierarch of the TV channel “Russia 24”.
According to Metropolitan Hilarion, the temples being built a lot “not because someone gave a command that someone is interested in increasing the number of construction projects, but because it is required by necessity”. Most often, he said, temples are built where people live, “within walking distance”.
He explained that people often want the Church were possible, “within walking distance” – “to not have to go an hour or an hour and a half on the subway or other modes of transport to the nearest temple so he could go with his children and wish he was here”.
