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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: gao seng who wrote (215208)	1/6/2002 1:29:35 PM
From: gao seng	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Russia celebrates Christmas Date: Sunday, January 06, 2002 1:09:54 PM EST MOSCOW, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Millions of people in the world's largest country attended religious services Sunday as the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated Christmas. The celebrations will culminate midnight Sunday at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior where Patriarch Alexiy II will conduct the Divine Liturgy. According to a poll taken by the All-Russian Center for Research of Public Opinion, at least 74 percent of Russia's 80 million believers will celebrate the holiday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Sunday. The poll results mark a continuing increase of Christmas' significance for the nation -- in 1997, 58 percent of those polled celebrated Christmas, while in 1999, that figure reached 67 percent, the agency added. The figures confirm Russia’s growing religious awareness, which has been given a boost after the demise of communism a decade ago. "At the time of this holiday, we especially feel that God is with us, and if God is with us, we shall fear no hardships or ordeals," the patriarch said Sunday in his greeting address. "Together with the Lord, we will walk our earthly path, strengthening ourselves with the help of his rescuing power." A spokesman for the Moscow police said Sunday that security would be tightened around the capital's churches to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of worshippers. The Russian Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar, which is two weeks behind the more widely used Gregorian calendar and celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday visited the central Russian towns of Pereslavl Zalessky and Gus-Khrustalny where he toured local churches and museums before attending the evening service at a church in the regional capital of Vladimir. One of the highlights of Putin's one-day trip was his visit to the Georgievsky church in Gus-Khrustalny, which hosts a collection of more than 13,000 exhibits made of crystal. Putin also toured the medieval town's crystal factory that recently celebrated its 245th anniversary. newsalert.com.