The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has arrived on a visit to the Russian Far Eastern island of Sakhalin.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who is on a trip to the Far East, called for strengthening the Orthodox Christian faith on the island, adding that this would also strengthen national identity.
"As a pastor, I am most of all concerned with the spiritual life of people living in Sakhalin," Kirill said.
Deputy presidential administration head Alexander Beglov, Sakhalin Region governor Alexander Khoroshavin and regional duma speaker Vladimir Yefremov met the patriarch at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport.
YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, September 20 (RIA Novosti)
