Goodwill gesture: Italy returns church to Russia Italy is returning to Russia ownership of an Orthodox church in its southern city of Bari. This is seen as a goodwill gesture towards Moscow and the Orthodox faithful. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev travelled to Italy for the hand-over ceremony where he received the keys to the church from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. The return of the church seeks to boost ties between the two countries as well as improve the often tense Roman ...