Moscow, December 7, 2016
A floating, all-terrain “Trekol” vehicle is set to arrive in Russia’s Komi Republic by early 2017, reports the site of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The vehicle was given to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on his seventieth birthday which was celebrated in November, and is being handed over to the Vorkuta diocese, located 1,000 miles northeast of Moscow, where it is needed for mission work in remote areas of the republic, especially among reindeer herding camps.
Visiting the Vorkuta diocese in the summer, His Holiness asked His Grace Bishop John how he could help the local faithful. His Grace asked only for such an all-terrain vehicle which would enable him to travel throughout his diocese, the cost of which was beyond the diocese’s means. The vehicle features low-pressure tires that cause no harm to the tundra.
Bishop John was invited to Moscow where, on December 2, he served with the patriarch in Christ the Savior Cathedral. Meeting afterwards, His Holiness informed Bishop John of the gift.