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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Religious freedom in Russia tenuous
Deseret News 18Feb00 N1
By Lee Davidson: Deseret News Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC -- The LDS Church's experiences with the tenuous
status of religious freedom in Russia are typical, according to
testimony by the U.S. Ambassador at large for religious freedom. But
U.S. diplomatic efforts have helped overcome many of the hurdles.
The ambassador testified before the "Helsinki Commission" on Thursday
about the status of religious freedom in Russia. The commission is a
panel of senators, representatives and administration officials that
monitors compliance with the 1975 Helsinki human rights accords.
The ambassador, Robert Seiple, told about a hurdle that emerged for
the LDS and Catholic Churches when regional officials in Smara Oblast
(a region similar to a U.S. State or a province) refused to allow the
churches to register as officially recognized churches. Without
registration, the churches can't have missionaries in the area, own
property or perform other legal actions. The U.S. state department,
as well as several congressmen, then met with the area's governor to
try and persuade him to allow the Church's to register, [He} "was
very receptive, and we were pleased that shortly after his return,
both groups reported being able to work with local officials to clear
up the difficulties," said Seiple.
But Seiple noted that religious freedom in Russia remains tenuous and
circumstances could change without the support of the U.S. and
international groups."In Russia today, we see a country poised to
plunge into a new millennium either as a political partner with the
West where the rights of all its citizens are respected and
protected, or as a state that does not respect the right of all its
citizens to worship God as they choose."
Seiple brought up other examples in his testimony of problems that
the LDS Church had suffered in the former Soviet Union. In one case
LDS missionaries in the Russian city of Chelybinsk were forced to
stop tracting and faced expulsion because local officials rejected
registration applications from the Church. According to a State
Department report, in March 1999 local militia broke up services of
the LDS Church in Chelyabinsk and interrogated seven missionaries. In
April, regional officials then forbade the Church from holding
services on Easter Sunday and threatened to arrest local church
leaders if the congregation met that day. The services were held
without incident.
"I believe the Russian people and their government will choose to
respect religious freedom and democracy but not without the active
support of the international community," concluded Seiple. "We will
continue to work with our European partners to promote a climate in
Russia that respects diversity in religious practice."
See also:
'Russian Commitment to Freedom of Religion is Tenuous,' Says CSCE Chairman
PRNewswire 17Feb00 N6
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