CHECHEN REPUBLIC

After standing in ruins for more than a decade, the only Russian Orthodox church in Chechnya’s capital has been restored. The consecration of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Grozny was led by Bishop Feofan of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz, who presides over a region settled by Christians and Muslims, but which today is filled with tragedy. Particularly horrific was the school hostage-taking in Beslan, Northern Ossetia, near Vladikavkaz, in September 2004. (Ecumenical News International)