MOSCOW, July 21 (Interfax) -- The law on the freedom of conscience and on religious associations approved by both houses of the Russian parliament "does not envisage any limitations on the religious activity of foreign citizens who observe Russian law," head of the Justice Ministry's Department for Public and Religious Organizations Gennadiy Monakhov told Interfax.
After Russian President Boris Yeltsin signs this law and it goes into effect, the government intends to adopt a document regulating the work of various religious missions operating in Russia. "Most probably accreditation will be issued to such missions," he said.
Although the Vatican and the U.S. Congress have criticized the law, Monakhov described it as "good and normal." He also commended the section which gives controlling functions to the agencies which register religious organizations. "The state has the right to know who is doing what on its territory and whether the laws and human rights are being observed," he said.
He explained that he meant a number of totalitarian sects which violate laws and pose a threat to human health. The Ministry of Justice has registered 390 centralized religious organizations, and the Ministry's regional agencies have note of more than 13,000 local religious organizations representing more than 60 confessions and religious trends, the Ministry's press service told Interfax.
The Russian Orthodox Church remains Russia's largest religious confession and comprises over 8,000 religious associations. Next comes Islam (about 3,000), and the Protestant Church and its trends, including the largest movement, the Baptist Church. In addition to these and other traditionally Russian confessions (old believers, Buddhists, Catholics and Jews), new trends -- the Krishnaites, the Mormons and the Bahais have been registered. Some of the Russian churches which were previously persecuted now operate openly, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, adventists-reformers, the genuinely Orthodox Christians, and so on.
The religious organizations' charters are registered by the Ministry of Justice and its agencies in the constituent territories, except Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Dagestan, which have passed their own laws on religion.
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Johnson's Russia List
#1077
23 July 1997
djohnson@cdi.org