NEW YORK: 1 October 23008
Russian Spiritual Culture Days in Latin American Countries 

In October, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, and His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, an event called the Russian Spiritual Culture Days will take place. 

A representative delegation from Russia, including clergymen and cultural figures, will visit seven countries—Cuba, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.  Divine services concelebrated by hierarchs of the Russian Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarch are planned, at which the faithful will be able to pray before the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God and other holy icons and relics. 

"The principal objectives of this undertaking are the formation of a positive shared opinion of the reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church in the homeland and abroad, and a familiarization of Orthodox believers in the Latin American countries with contemporary Russian Orthodoxy and the restoration of the holy places throughout Russia," the organizers of the program informed the correspondent of "Interfax-Religia". 

Orthodox Divine Liturgies and services of supplication will be celebrated in San Jose, Caracas, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Mar-del-Plata, Santiago and Asuncion.  On October 25,  at the Church of the Holy Martyr Zinaida in Rio de Janiero, participants will jointly celebrate the parish's feast day.  For the first time in history, hierarchal Orthodox divine services will be celebrated on Mount Corcovalo, at the foot of the famous statue of Christ the Savior, the symbol of Catholic Brazil. 

The choir of Sretensky Monastery will provide the music for the divine services.  It will also give ten concerts for the secular public.  Within the context of the program, local people will be able to familiarize themselves with an exhibit ("Orthodox Russia"), a photo-display ("Modern Russia"), and newly-printed Orthodox literature produced by the Publications Council of the Moscow Patriarchate. 

In Havana, Brazil, Buenos Aires and Santiago, during the course of the Russian Spiritual Cultrue Days, a festival of Russian artistic, documentary and animated films will be inaugurated. 

The organizer of the educational/cultural program is the Center for the Russian Diaspora, with the support of Russia's Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Culture, and the Russian Orthodox Church. 

The itinerary of the program may be viewed at:
http://www.rusdays.ru/projects/latin/program/