Penza, 28 December 2015. PenzaNews. The numbers of registered religious organizations in the Penza region nearly doubled from 2011 to 2015, announced Alexander Elatontsev, acting head of the regional Internal Policy and Mass Communications Department, during the religious organizations cooperation task force session held on Monday, December 28.

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“If we compare, there were 264 of them in 2011, and 495 right now. There are different issues here. First of all, we only have three dioceses in the region. This is an objective process, we will not be dwelling on it,” he remarked.

According to Alexander Elatontsev, measures to stop religious extremism are a priority for the Penza region.

“The Penza region government and the local municipalities have subordinate debate task forces to discover emerging ethnic and confessional conflicts, prevent them, and conduct the aftermath neutralization of the situation,” he stressed, pointing out that the region has several task forces on cooperation with religious groups and national-cultural diasporas under the regional government, as well as the gubernatorial consultative body on cooperation with Muslim religious and civil organizations.

In 2015, the executive authorities of the Penza region together with civil organizations held more than 100 events that encompassed over 60,000 people in all municipalities, explained the head of Internal Policies and Mass Communications Department.

In particular, he highlighted the interregional forum “Russia – Our Common Home,” the legal forum “Rebuff Extremism,” and the signing of cooperation agreement between the Penza region government and the diocese heads.

According to Alexander Elatontsev, these events became an excellent example of cooperation between people of various ethnicities and confessions.