Superstitious Russians flock to see Virgin Mary relic
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-Pastor-Dale-Morgan-
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Nov 23, 2011, 8:34:56 PM11/23/11
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Perilous
Times
Superstitious Russians flock to see Virgin Mary relic
By MANSUR MIROVALEV, Associated Press
MOSCOW — Braving freezing cold temperatures and ice-covered
sidewalks, tens of thousands of Superstitious Russians stood in
line Wednesday to see and kiss a newly arrived relic of the Virgin
Mary in Russia's largest Orthodox cathedral.
The Virgin Mary's Cincture, a belt that Christians believe was
worn by Jesus' mother, was brought to Russia last month from Mount
Athos, a monastic community in Greece.
Kissing the relic, which is encased in an ornamental box, is
believed to help barren women conceive and heal other ailments.
The line of people, mostly women, waiting to enter the
golden-domed Christ the Savior Cathedral stretched for 2.5 miles
(4 kilometers) along the Moscow River despite temperatures that
dropped to below minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit).
Police officers announced through bullhorns that it will take the
Virgin Mary worshippers 24 hours to get to the relic as the line
swelled to tens of thousands.
Hundreds of buses brought pilgrims from other Russian cities. Some
150 buses were parked along the embankment with their engines
running so the faithful could get warm as they waited. The city
provided free tea and food and put up portable toilets.
Some 1,500 police officers were deployed to prevent people from
cutting in line.
Traffic in central Moscow has been snarled since the relic first
went on display Saturday. By Wednesday afternoon, as many as
300,000 people had seen the relic, which will remain on display
through Sunday.
The St. Andrew's Foundation, which brought the relic to Russia,
said it was viewed by 2 million people in 14 other cities before
arriving in Moscow.
The Russian Orthodox Church withered under eight decades of Soviet
rule, but has enjoyed a resurgence over the past two decades.
Russians adopted Christianity in 989 from Byzantine Greeks, and
the Russian Orthodox Church has maintained close ties with Greek
clergy and monasteries.