Notorious Lubyanka prison to become a church

Russian officials have approved plans for a major “Basilica of new martyrs and confessors” on the site of Moscow’s notorious Lubyanka prison, which was used by the Soviet Union’s NKVD and KGB secret police, writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

“This future church will not only perpetuate the memory of repression victims – it will also serve as a warning against repeating the errors of the past,” the Moscow Patriarchate said.

Lubyanka is currently headquarters of the Federal Security Service.

n Pope Francis sent a letter to the town of Beslan in Russia on the tenth anniversary of the school hostage crisis. Chechen terrorists took 1,000 people including many children hostage. The school was stormed and 300 died, including 186 children.