Patriarch Kirill visits Kaczynski plane's crash site

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SMOLENSK, June 6 (Itar-Tass) - The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Kirill on Saturday visited the place where the plane of the deceased
Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed on April 10 this year.
Patriarch Kirill laid a wreath, in the centre of which was a cross
made of white roses against the background of red carnations, at the crash
site. He held a funeral service and paid tribute to the memory of the
Polish president and other members of the Polish delegation, including
Bishop Miron of the Polish Orthodox Church. The patriarch presented his
condolences to all Polish people.
"Tragedies like this one convince us once again that a human life is
in the hands of God. We cannot foresee or prevent them under certain
circumstances. We can only grieve and share the pain of loss together with
the families and relatives of the dead," Patriarch Kirill went on to say.
"The whole world knew those people. But, apart from that, they were
just humans who had families and relatives. I imagine what sorrow they
felt in their hearts when they received news about the death of their
loved ones," the head of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized. At the
same time, he believes that the tragedy has set in motion a very effective
mechanism of Russian-Polish cooperation aimed at searching for the causes
of the crash.
Patriarch Kirill said that the Russian and Polish people could
communicate with each other openly and warmly and with trust not only in
moments of grief but also in moments of joy.
"I am deeply convinced that Russia and Poland will have a better
future, including in terms of bilateral relations," the Russian patriarch
stressed. He stressed that the Russians and the Poles were the two
brethren Slavic nations whose fates were closed intertwined. "In order to
move forward, we should be guided by what unites us, if we really want to
make this world better," Kirill stressed.
The Polish media shot the funeral ceremony.
The Severnyi airport has been closed to flights since the plane crash.
People bring wreaths and flowers to a memorial stone that has been
unveiled at the crash site. Although the plane wreckage has been removed,
the signs of the tragedy in form of cut trees and bushes are still
visible. Local residents say they found body fragments lying at a long
range from the crash site when they helped cleaning the place.
At present, Patriarch Kirill is touring Russian northwestern regions.

. IOC debriefing to begin in Sochi.

SOCHI, June 6 (Itar-Tass) - The International Olympic Committee will
on Sunday officially begin a debriefing on the results of the 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Games in Vancouver. More than 600 representatives of the
international Olympic and Paralympic movements will gather in the capital
of the future Winter Games for summing up the final results and sharing
experience, a source at the Sochi-2014 organizing committee told Itar-Tass.
IOC President Jacques Rogge will open the six-day meeting.
The organizing committees of the Vancouver -2010, London-2012,
Sochi-2014 and Rio 2016 and of international sporting federations will
hold a series of meetings and seminars.
A series of plenary meetings will be held on June 7-10 to discuss
various aspects of organizing and holding the Games: stable development
and protection of environment, the accommodation of participants and
guests, services to athletes, traffic during the Olympics, etc. The
official results of Vancouver 2010 will be announced at a news
conference on June 10.
The debriefing will last until June 11.

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