{"id":374,"date":"2014-02-03T11:11:42","date_gmt":"2014-02-03T11:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.operalapira.it\/?p=374"},"modified":"2014-02-03T11:11:42","modified_gmt":"2014-02-03T11:11:42","slug":"viaggio-in-russia-2013-diario-di-viaggio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/?p=374","title":{"rendered":"<!--:it-->Viaggio in Russia 2013 &#8211; Diario di Viaggio<!--:--><!--:en-->Travel to Russia 2013 &#8211; Travel Diary<!--:-->"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--:it--><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Dal 17 al 24 novembre scorso un gruppo di 15 giovani dell&#8217;Opera \u00e8 stato impegnato in un viaggio-pellegrinaggio a Mosca e San Pietroburgo, sulle orme dei viaggi che il professor La Pira inaugur\u00f2 nel 1959 e, in particolare, in ricordo del decennale della morte di Pino, che da sempre \u00e8 stato molto legato ai rapporti con le realt\u00e0 di Mosca e di San Pietroburgo con cui abbiamo stretto relazioni.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_378\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20131119_172206.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-378\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-378 alignleft\" alt=\"I giovani dell'Opera La Pira con gli amici dell'universit\u00e0 del MGIMO\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20131119_172206-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-378\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I giovani dell&#8217;Opera La Pira con gli amici dell&#8217;universit\u00e0 del MGIMO<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Domenica 17 Novembre<\/b>: partiamo dall&#8217;aeroporto di Firenze e dopo un breve scalo a Monaco arriviamo a destinazione nel tardo pomeriggio. Siamo subito accolti da Alexander, uno studente del MGIMO (Universit\u00e0 Statale per le Relazioni Internazionali di Mosca), e da Gioele, un giovane dell&#8217;Opera gi\u00e0 presente in Russia per un soggiorno di studio. Ci sistemiamo all&#8217;Hotel Salut, nella zona sud di Mosca vicino all&#8217;Universit\u00e0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Prima di cena celebriamo insieme la S. Messa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Luned\u00ec 18 Novembre<\/b>: una piccola delegazione del gruppo incontra il nuovo Nunzio Apostolico a Mosca, mons. Ivan Jurkovic. Il Nunzio si dimostra molto interessato alla nostra attivit\u00e0, e ci esorta a continuare il nostro cammino di dialogo religioso e culturale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">In mattinata visitiamo il centro di Mosca, in particolare la Piazza Rossa e il Cremlino, accompagnati da Zarina e Veronika; nel pomeriggio visitiamo la Basilica Ortodossa di Cristo Salvatore, demolita dal regime sovietico e successivamente ricostruita (il lavori sono ultimati solo nel 2000). Successivamente, accompagnati da Sergey, Julia e Arteem, facciamo una passeggiata per il centro della citt\u00e0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Prima di cena celebriamo tutti assieme la S. Messa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Marted\u00ec 19 Novembre<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">: dopo aver celebrato la S.Messa, andiamo a visitare la Galleria Tetriakov: in questo museo sono conservate le opere di molti artisti russi, fra cui alcune icone di Rublev e dei ritratti di Ivan Nikitin. Arteem \u00e8 la nostra guida all&#8217;interno del museo, ci accompagnano inoltre Marja e Maxim.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><a name=\"firstHeading\"><\/a> <span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Nel pomeriggio partecipiamo ad un incontro all&#8217;Universit\u00e0 di MGIMO dedicato al ricordo della figura di Pino.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_379\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-19-13.09.02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-379\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-379\" alt=\"L'incontro presso l'universit\u00e0 MGIMO\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-19-13.09.02-300x168.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-379\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L&#8217;incontro presso l&#8217;universit\u00e0 MGIMO<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Ci viene portato il saluto di Anatoly Torkunov, rettore dell&#8217;Universit\u00e0. Dopo una breve introduzione della professoressa Tatiana Zonova, che da anni collabora con l&#8217;Opera e accompagna i giovani studenti russi a \u201cLa Vela\u201d per il Campo Internazionale, e di Dino Nardi, intervengono diversi giovani dell&#8217;Opera e giovani studenti di MGIMO, come Maxim, Roman, Arteem. Ci confrontiamo sul significato profondo della nostra esperienza di dialogo e scambio, sottolineando il fatto che dalle relazioni vere, anche con persone molto diverse da noi, non possiamo che uscire arricchiti. Per questo siamo convinti della bellezza e utilit\u00e0 di questo rapporto che dura ormai da 25 anni, determinati a farlo crescere ancora attraverso una sempre pi\u00f9 intensa collaborazione.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Infine interviene Evgenj Silin, direttore dell&#8217;Associazione per la Collaborazione Euro-Atlantica: dopo un commosso ricordo di Pino e del professor La Pira, ci esorta a continuare a coltivare i rapporti tra l&#8217;Opera e MGIMO poich\u00e9 si fondano su solidissime radici e hanno gi\u00e0 portato, e porteranno ancora, molti frutti.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Mercoled\u00ec 20 Novembre<\/b>: celebriamo tutti assieme la S. Messa e dopo partiamo per Sergiev Posad, a nord-est di Mosca, dove visitiamo il Monastero della Trinit\u00e0 di San Sergio, centro della spiritualit\u00e0 ortodossa e sede centrale del Patriarca Kirill. Visitiamo, assieme ad un guida e a Dimitri, un altro studente del MGIMO, le Chiese che compongono il Monastero, le cui prime costruzioni risalgono al 1340 ad opera dello stesso San Sergio di Radonez. Sostiamo in particolare sulla tomba di Massimo il Greco, che fu ospite del convento di San Marco a Firenze al tempo di Savonarola e il cui corpo fu ritrovato per iniziativa del professor La Pira durante il suo primo viaggio nel 1959. Abbiamo poi un breve momento di preghiera personale sulla tomba di San Sergio, il santo pi\u00f9 venerato dalla Chiesa russa Ortodossa.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_380\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-20-13.22.25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-380\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-380\" alt=\"Viaggio in Russia - Sergiev Posad\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-20-13.22.25-300x168.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-380\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I giovani dell&#8217;Opera in pellegrinaggio a Sergiev Posad<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Gioved\u00ec 21 Novembre<\/b>: celebriamo assieme la S. Messa e poi ci rechiamo al Patriarcato della Chiesa Ortodossa russa presso il Monastero di San Danilov. Incontriamo padre Aleksij Dikarev, funzionario della segreteria per le relazioni inter-cristiane del Dipartimento per le relazioni estere del patriarcato, accompagnati da Mikhail Arteev, membro del Common Cause. Dopo averci ricordato il grande impegno ecumenico del professor La Pira, soprattutto nell&#8217;invitare gli osservatori della chiesa ortodossa russa ai lavori del Concilio Vaticano II, ci parla dell&#8217;attuale stato dei rapporti tra Chiesa cattolica e ortodossa. Segue un breve ma positivo confronto con i giovani riguardo al Campo Internazionale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Nel tardo pomeriggio andiamo alla stazione ferroviaria di Mosca, dove prendiamo il treno per trasferirci a San Pietroburgo dopo giorni molto intensi, ricchi di incontri, momenti di riflessione, ma soprattutto occasioni di condivisione con i giovani amici moscoviti incontrati nelle scorse estati ai campi internazionali al villaggio \u201cLa Vela\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Arriviamo a San Pietroburgo in tarda serata, dove veniamo accolti da padre George e i diaconi Bogdan e Timofey; ci accompagnano presso il monastero ortodosso di San Sergio, dove veniamo ospitati da padre Andrej.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Venerd\u00ec 22 Novembre<\/b>: accompagnati dai nostri amici ortodossi, ci dirigiamo verso Puskin, in mattinata visitiamo il Palazzo d&#8217;Estate di Caterina la Grande. Andiamo poi alla Cattedrale di San Teodoro dove incontriamo il Vescovo Markell che, alla fine degli anni &#8217;80, fu pi\u00f9 volte ospite a \u201cLa Vela\u201d accompagnando i giovani seminaristi ortodossi stringendo un particolare legame umano e spirituale con Pino. Si svolge una celebrazione, guidata dal Vescovo Markell, insieme ad alcuni sacerdoti ortodossi e vecchi amici che hanno partecipato al Campo Internazionale negli ultimi anni, in memoria di Pino.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_381\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-381\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-381\" alt=\"I giovani dell'Opera incontrano il Vescovo Markell, con cui condividono un momento di preghiera in memoria di Pino\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-300x224.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-705x527.jpg 705w, https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-381\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I giovani dell&#8217;Opera incontrano il Vescovo Markell, con cui condividono un momento di preghiera in memoria di Pino<\/p><\/div>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Ci spostiamo poi nella periferia di Puskin, in una zona in grande espansione urbanistica, dove partecipiamo alla cerimonia per l&#8217;inizio della costruzione di una nuova Chiesa per la comunit\u00e0 di cristiani ortodossi di questa nuova area urbana.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Torniamo a San Pietroburgo dove incontriamo la Comunit\u00e0 delle suore missionarie Domenicane. La quattro sorelle che compongono la comunit\u00e0 ci testimoniano con semplicit\u00e0 ma anche grande passione la loro missione, a sostegno della parrocchia cattolica di Santa Caterina, raccontandoci delle grandi difficolt\u00e0 che hanno incontrato ed ancora incontrano, ma anche della ricchezza di questa esperienza che ormai dura da oltre vent&#8217;anni. Celebriamo tutti assieme la S. Messa nella casa della comunit\u00e0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Sabato 23 Novembre<\/b>: la mattina visitiamo l&#8217;Ermitage, uno dei pi\u00f9 grandi musei del mondo, allestito in un complesso architettonico che comprende anche quello che fu il Palazzo d&#8217;Inverno, residenza degli Zar della dinastia Romanov. Vi \u00e8 conservata una delle pi\u00f9 importanti collezioni d&#8217;arte al mondo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Nel pomeriggio visitiamo alcuni tra i luoghi pi\u00f9 significativi della citt\u00e0: la Prospettiva Nievskij, la cattedrale di San Salvatore sul Sangue Versato, la Cattedrale di Sant&#8217;Isacco, l&#8217;Ammiragliato.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Prima di recarci a Santa Caterina per la S. Messa, partecipiamo alla celebrazione ortodossa della vigilia della domenica, presieduta dal nostro amico Bogdan, presso la sua parrocchia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Celebriamo la S. Messa Vespertina presso la chiesa di Santa Caterina assieme alla comunit\u00e0 parrocchiale.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_382\" style=\"width: 234px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_0352.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-382\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-382\" alt=\"La cena presso la comunit\u00e0 cattolica di Santa Caterina\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_0352-224x300.jpg\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-382\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">La cena presso la comunit\u00e0 cattolica di Santa Caterina<\/p><\/div>\n<p lang=\"it-IT\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Siamo accolti dai giovani della parrocchia che negli ultimi anni hanno partecipato al Campo Internazionale, che ci hanno preparato la cena: Marja, Olga, Asya, Mikhail, Egle, Evgenya, Feodor, Marja, Varvara, Anna&#8230; Trascorriamo assieme ad amici vecchi e nuovi la serata in allegria, ringraziandoli di cuore per la calorosissima accoglienza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><b>Domenica 24 Novembre<\/b>: assistiamo ad una celebrazione liturgica ala Cattedrale ortodossa di Kazan, la parrocchia di padre George, nel centro di San Pietroburgo. Dopo un ultima visita della citt\u00e0, pranziamo presso la Cattedrale e poi ci dirigiamo verso l&#8217;aeroporto. Rientriamo a Firenze in tarda serata, stanchi e ancora non ben consapevoli della ricchezza di ci\u00f2 che abbiamo vissuto; con tanta voglia di ringraziare l&#8217;Opera per la meravigliosa opportunit\u00e0 che ci ha dato, e tanti amici che ci hanno accolto con grandissima cura ed attenzione. In questi giorni possiamo dire di aver veramente sperimentato il \u201ctesoro di bellezza, arte e liturgia\u201d di cui fino a ieri avevamo solo sentito parlare.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--:--><!--:en--><\/p>\n<div>\nFrom November 17th to 24th a group of 15 young\u00a0people from \u201cOpera\u00a0La\u00a0Pira\u201d\u00a0went\u00a0to\u00a0Moscow and St. Petersburg for a journey-pilgrimage, trying to follow\u00a0the footsteps of the travels Professor La\u00a0Pira\u00a0made starting in 1959, with the particular aim to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of founder Pino Arpioni, who had always been very close to\u00a0the realities of\u00a0Moscow and St. Petersburg whom our association share a relationship with.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_378\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20131119_172206.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-378\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-378\" alt=\"The group of Opera La Pira with the friends of the University of MGIMO \" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20131119_172206-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-378\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The group of Opera La Pira with the friends of the University of MGIMO<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Sunday, November\u00a017th:<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0We took off\u00a0from Florence airport, and after a short stop in Munich we landed\u00a0in\u00a0Moscow in\u00a0the late afternoon. We are immediately welcomed\u00a0by Alexander, a student from MGIMO (University of International Relations in Moscow),\u00a0and\u00a0Gioele, a young man from \u201cOpera\u201d in Russia\u00a0already\u00a0for a study purposes. We housed at\u00a0Hotel\u00a0Salut, in the south of Moscow, near the University.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<div>\nBefore dinner we celebrated together the Holy Mass.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong>Monday, November\u00a018th:<\/strong>\u00a0A small delegation from our group met\u00a0the new\u00a0Apostolic Nuncio in Moscow, Mons. Ivan\u00a0Jurkovic.\u00a0The Nuncio proved to be\u00a0very interested in\u00a0our activities, and encouraged\u00a0us to continue our journey of religious and cultural\u00a0dialogue.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nIn the morning we visited the\u00a0center\u00a0of\u00a0Moscow,\u00a0including\u00a0the\u00a0Red Square and the Kremlin, accompanied by\u00a0Zarina\u00a0and\u00a0Veronika, while in the afternoon we\u00a0visited\u00a0the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, demolished by the Soviet regime\u00a0and later rebuilt\u00a0(the work was\u00a0completed only in 2000). Later, accompanied by Sergey, Julia and\u00a0Arteem, we took\u00a0a walk in the city\u00a0center.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nBefore dinner we celebrated together the Holy Mass.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong>Tuesday, November\u00a019th:<\/strong>\u00a0After\u00a0the celebration of\u00a0\u00a0the Holy Mass, we\u00a0visited Tetriakov\u00a0Gallery: this museum houses the works of many Russian artists, including some of\u00a0Rublev&#8217;s\u00a0icons and portraits of Ivan\u00a0Nikitin.\u00a0Arteem\u00a0was our guide inside the\u00a0museum, and we were accompanied\u00a0also\u00a0by\u00a0Marja\u00a0and Maxim.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nIn the afternoon we took\u00a0part to a meeting at MGIMO University about Pino\u00a0Arpioni, his memory and legacy.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nWe\u00a0received the greetings of\u00a0Anatoly\u00a0Torkunov\u00a0,\u00a0rector of the University.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_379\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-19-13.09.02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-379\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-379\" alt=\"The meeting at the MGIMO University\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-19-13.09.02-300x168.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-379\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The meeting at the MGIMO University<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<div>\n<dl id=\"ecxattachment_379\">\n<dd><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">After a brief introduction by Professor Tatiana\u00a0Zonova, who has been working\u00a0with Opera and accompanies the young Russian students to &#8220;La Vela&#8221; during the International\u00a0Camp,\u00a0and Dino\u00a0Nardi,\u00a0vice-president of our association, several\u00a0members of our group and\u00a0some young students from MGIMO, such as Maxim, Roman,\u00a0Arteem, took part to the discussion. We spoke about\u00a0the\u00a0deep\u00a0meaning of our dialogue and exchange experience, emphasizing the fact that establishing true\u00a0relations,\u00a0even with people very different from us, is a precious occasion of growth. This is why we are sure of the beauty and usefulness of this particular relationship, 25 years lasting now, and we are determined to make it grow\u00a0through more an intense collaboration.\u00a0<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\nIn the end,\u00a0Evgenj\u00a0Silin, director of the Association for Euro-Atlantic\u00a0Cooperation,\u00a0after a heartfelt remembrance of\u00a0Pino\u00a0and Professor La\u00a0Pira, encouraged\u00a0us to keep on cultivating the relationship between Opera and MGIMO, since they are based on solid\u00a0roots and have already brought, and still bring, many benefits.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_380\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-20-13.22.25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-380\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-380\" alt=\"Travel in Russia - Sergiev Posad\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2013-11-20-13.22.25-300x168.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-380\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Opera La Pira group visits Sergiev Posad<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<strong>Wednesday, November\u00a020th:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u00a0celebrated together the Holy\u00a0Mass and then\u00a0we\u00a0went\u00a0to\u00a0Sergiev\u00a0Posad, north-east of Moscow, where we visited\u00a0the Monastery of St.\u00a0Sergius\u00a0Trinity, center\u00a0of Orthodox spirituality and headquarters of Patriarch Kirill. We\u00a0visited,\u00a0along with a guide and\u00a0Dimitri, another student from MGIMO, the churches that compose the monastery, whose buildings date back to the early 1340s, built\u00a0by the\u00a0same St.\u00a0Sergius\u00a0of\u00a0Radonezh. In particular, we stopped at Maximus the\u00a0Greek&#8217;s tomb, a monk who had been a guest of St. Mark&#8217;s convent in Florence at Savonarola&#8217;s times, whose body was found following the initiative of Professor La\u00a0Pira himself during his\u00a0first trip in 1959. We then had\u00a0a brief moment of personal prayer at the tomb of St.\u00a0Sergius, the most worshipped saint in Russian Orthodox\u00a0Church .\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong>Thursday, November\u00a021st :<\/strong>\u00a0We\u00a0celebrated\u00a0the Holy Mass and then we went\u00a0to the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarchate at St.\u00a0Danilov\u00a0Monastery . We met Father\u00a0Alexsij\u00a0Dikarev, the official secretary of inter-Christian\u00a0relationships\u00a0of the Partiarchate&#8217;s Department of Foreign Relation, accompanied by Mikhail\u00a0Arteev, a member of\u00a0the Common Cause association. After reminding us of Professor La Pira&#8217;s great ecumenical commitment, especially visible in the initiative of inviting observers from Russian Orthodox Church during the works of Second Vatican Council,\u00a0father\u00a0Aleksij\u00a0talked\u00a0about the current state of relations between the\u00a0Catholic and the Orthodox Churches. In there, we had\u00a0a brief but positive dialogue about our International\u00a0Camp.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nIn the late afternoon we went\u00a0to the train station in\u00a0Moscow,\u00a0where we took the train to finally move to St. Petersburg, leaving behind us intense\u00a0days in Moscow, full of meetings, moments of reflection, but most of all opportunities for sharing the memories of the past camps at\u00a0&#8220;La Vela&#8221; with our Moscovite friends.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nWe arrived in St. Petersburg at late\u00a0evening,\u00a0and we were\u00a0greeted by Father George\u00a0and the deacons\u00a0Bogdan\u00a0and\u00a0Timofey;\u00a0they accompanied\u00a0us at the Orthodox monastery of St.\u00a0Sergius, where we were hosted by Father Andrej.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong>Friday, November\u00a022nd:<\/strong>\u00a0Accompanied by our Orthodox friends, we headed to Pushkin,\u00a0where,\u00a0in the morning,\u00a0we visited\u00a0the Summer Palace of Catherine the Great. Then we moved\u00a0to the Cathedral of San\u00a0Theodore, where we met the Bishop\u00a0Markell. At the end of the &#8217;80s, he had been a frequent guest at &#8220;La Vela&#8221; Village as the accompanier of young\u00a0Orthodox\u00a0seminarians; during this experience, he formed a unique human and spiritual bond with\u00a0Pino.\u00a0A\u00a0celebration in memory of\u00a0Pino\u00a0led by Bishop\u00a0Markell\u00a0took place, and some Orthodox priests and old friends who participated to the International Camp in recent years joined us as well.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nWe then moved towards\u00a0the outskirts of Pushkin, in an area of great urban expansion, where we participated to a ceremony marking the beginning of the\u00a0construction of a new church for the Orthodox Christian community of this new urban area.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_381\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-381\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-381 \" alt=\"The group of Opera meet the Bishop Markell, with whom they share a moment of prayer in memory of Pino. \" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-300x224.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1-705x527.jpg 705w, https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_2008-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-381\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The group of Opera meet the Bishop Markell, with whom they share a moment of prayer in memory of Pino.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n\u00a0Eventually we went\u00a0back\u00a0to St. Petersburg, where we met the Community of the Dominican Missionary\u00a0Sisters.\u00a0The four nuns that the community is composed of gave us with simplicity but also great passion a testimony of their mission in support of the Catholic parish of St. Catherine, telling us about the great difficulties they encountered and still encounter in doing so, but also about the human and spiritual richness of this twenty-years-lasting experience. We celebrated the Holy Mass together in the house of the community.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong>Saturday, November\u00a023rd:<\/strong>\u00a0In the morning we visited Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, housed in an architectural complex that also includes what\u00a0once was\u00a0the Winter Palace, residence of the Tsars of the Romanov dynasty; one of the most important art collections in the world is preserved in the museum.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nIn the afternoon we visited\u00a0some of the most significant places of the city: the Nevsky Prospect,\u00a0the Church of St. Saviour on Spilled Blood, St. Isaac&#8217;s Cathedral, the Admiralty building.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nBefore coming back to St. Catherine for the Holy\u00a0Mass, we participated to an\u00a0Orthodox celebration of\u00a0Sunday\u2019s eve, celebrated by our friend\u00a0Bogdan\u00a0at his parish.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_382\" style=\"width: 234px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_0352.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-382\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-382\" alt=\"Dinner at the Catholic community of St. Catherine\" src=\"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_0352-224x300.jpg\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-382\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dinner at the Catholic community of St. Catherine<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nWe celebrated the\u00a0Holy Mass at the Church of St. Catherine with the parish community.\n<\/div>\n<div>\nWe were greeted by the young people of the parish\u00a0that, in\u00a0recent years, have experienced the International Camp:\u00a0Marja, Olga,\u00a0Asya, Mikhail,\u00a0Egle,\u00a0Evgenya, Feodor,\u00a0Marja,\u00a0Varvara, Anna&#8230; We joyfully spent the night together with old and new friends,\u00a0and we still thank them for the extremely warm welcome.\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<strong>Sunday, November\u00a024th:<\/strong>\u00a0We participated to an Orthodox liturgical celebration at Kazan Cathedral, the parish of Father George, in the very center\u00a0of St. Petersburg.\u00a0After a last visit to the city,\u00a0we had lunch near the Cathedral and then we headed\u00a0to the airport. We\u00a0came back to Florence in the evening, tired and still not well aware of the richness and importance of what we had experienced, with a great desire to thank Opera\u00a0for the wonderful opportunity it gave\u00a0us, and the many friends who welcomed us with great care and attention. We can say that during these days we truly experienced the &#8220;treasure of beauty, art and liturgy&#8221; remembered in our Prayer for Peace, a treasure of\u00a0which, before yesterday, we had only heard about.\n<\/div>\n<p><!--:--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dal 17 al 24 novembre scorso un gruppo di 15 giovani dell&#8217;Opera \u00e8 stato impegnato in un viaggio-pellegrinaggio a Mosca e San Pietroburgo, sulle orme dei viaggi che il professor La Pira inaugur\u00f2 nel 1959 e, in particolare, in ricordo del decennale della morte di Pino, che da sempre \u00e8 stato molto legato ai rapporti [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international-camp","category-pilgrimage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operalapira.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}