MOSCOW, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A Vatican cardinal returned Saturday a precious icon to the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow as a gift from Pope John Paul II.
The Virgin of Kazan icon is an 18th-Century copy bought by Roman Catholics in 1970, the BBC reported Saturday.
Patriarch Alexy, the head of the Russian Church, thanked the Pope, who views the gift as a goodwill gesture. However, he appealed to Rome not to try to "compete" for Russian Christians.
The icon was handed over by Catholic Cardinal Walter Kasper in a ceremony at the Kremlin's Cathedral of the Assumption after a service to mark the Orthodox Feast of the Assumption.
It was expected Saturday to be housed temporarily at Alexy's residence until a permanent home was found.
The original Virgin of Kazan artifact, named after the eastern Russian city where it was found in 1579, is believed to have perished.
