Siberian priest parachutes to 'roof of the world'

April 26, 1998
Web posted at: 2:32 p.m. EDT (1832 GMT)

NORTH POLE (CNN) -- Father Victor is not your usual priest.

Sure, he spreads the gospel, but he does it with a flair for adventure.

Last year he organized a floating church to travel upriver through deserted areas of Siberia. Victor's reasoning was that people working in remote regions could attend a rare service and pray.

His latest feat began in the middle Siberian city of Novosibirsk and ended in one of the most remote locations in the world: the North Pole.

A priest parachutes in the North Pole
	1.5 MB / 27 sec. QuickTime movie

Victor parachuted down onto the pole and erected an Orthodox cross that stands 12 feet high.

I've put the cross on the "roof of the world," Victor told reporters.

"My next goal will be to jump on the bottom of a volcano crater," said the ambitious adventurer.

Father Victor stays in shape by bicycling, skiing, and swimming in icy waters.

And flirting with danger is a natural element of Victor's normal habitat: He is chaplain for a special forces regiment in Siberia.

WTN contributed to this report.

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