The stolen piece of the relics of St. Andrew the-First-Called has been returned to the Russian Orthodox Church

THE STOLEN PIECE OF THE RELICS OF ST. ANDREW THE-FIRST-CALLED HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

St. Andrew the-First-Called, one of the twelve disciples of the Saviour, is considered to be one of the founders of Christianity in Russia. The church tradition holds that in his preaching of the gospel to the world St. Andrew reached the boundaries of what today is Kiev.

A piece of the relics of the holy apostle was given to the Russian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia in 1988 by Austrian citizens who brought the shrine to Pyatigorsk and gave it to Archbishop Anthony of Stavropol and Baku. After his death, the piece of the holy relics was stolen from the Church.

In January, a regional directorate for struggle with organized crime of the Interior Ministry aborted an attempt at its illegal sale.

On February 3, the Interior Minister V. Rushailo handed the shrine with the relics over to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia at the Church of Christ the Saviour. “Today’s event is a token speaking of the respect that the law-enforcers have for the history of the Russian land and the faith of our people”, he said.

His Holiness the Patriarch thanked the Interior Ministry officers for the assistance and expressed the conviction that praying before this shrine the people of God would strengthen themselves in the faith and grow spiritually.

In the evening, about one thousand of the Orthodox came to venerate the recovered shrine.

The holy relics of St. Andrew the-First-Called will stay at the Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.