RUSSIA'S CHIEF RABBI DEFENDS RELIGION BILL YELTSIN VETOED

Agence France-Presse

MOSCOW (July 28, 1997 07:33 a.m. EDT) - Russia's chief rabbi spoke out Monday in favor of a controversial bill on religion which President Boris Yeltsin vetoed last week, the Interfax agency reported.

In an interview with the Russian agency, Rabbi Adolf Shayevich said the text of the law was "the best possible, even if it was far from being perfect."

"It contains no formula hostile to the world's traditional religions, in particular to Catholicism," he said.

The rabbi's support for the law follows pressure from the heads of the Russian Orthodox, Muslim and Buddhist religions in Russia to have the bill promulgated.

The bill is intended to halt the spread of sects, which have flourished in Russia since the demise of the Soviet Union.

In its preamble, it declares that Orthodox Christianity is "an inalienable part of all-Russian history."

Islam, Buddhism and Judaism, all of which have long-established roots among Russia's ethnic minorities, would be treated as "traditionally existing" religions, to be accorded the state's "respect."

But critics -- including Pope John Paul II -- argued that this wording failed to recognize other legitimate religions including Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

Yeltsin announced Tuesday that he would not sign the bill, which had overwhelming support in the Russian parliament. He said some of the bill's provisions curbed Russians' constitutional rights.

Shayevich said he believed the law would "put up a legal barrier" against the proliferation of sects.

The presidential veto could be overturned by a two-thirds majority in each chamber of parliament.

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Johnson's Russia List

#1092

28 July 1997

djohnson@cdi.org