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On 4 December 2015, an exhibition, “The Light of Christ Shines for All,” of Mr. Vassily Nesterenko, People’s Artist of Russia, a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, opened at the Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome.

The exhibition is organized under the patronage of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, Pontifical Council for Culture, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Vatican.

Among those who spoke at the opening ceremony were Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Bishop Antony of Bogorodsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad, administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate’s parishes in Italy; Mr. Alexander Avdeyev, Russia’s Ambassador to the Vatican; and Rev. Lech Piechota of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

In his address, Bishop Antony conveyed to all those present greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman. The exhibition is the first result of the work carried out by a working group for cultural cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. “I hope that the paintings by a prominent artist Vassily Nesterenko, author of many remarkable works, including frescoes of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, will help the visitors deepen their understanding of the beauty of the Russian Orthodox culture,” the archpastor said in conclusion.

The exhibition will be open until December 30.

On the eve of the opening ceremony, Hieromonk Amvrosy (Matsegora), sacristan of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Rome, and Mr. Vassily Nesterenko, People’s Artist of Russia, attended an audience with the Pope of Rome. They were accompanied by Rev. Hyacinthe Destivelle, a staff member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. During the meeting, Hieromonk Amvrosy conveyed to Pope Francis greetings from Bishop Antony of Bogorodsk, and Mr. Nesterenko presented the head of the Roman Catholic Church with an icon of the Mother of God, the website of the Church of St Catherine in Rome reports.