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The visa war with the Catholics is continuing. Another Catholic priest, Bronislav Czaplicki, the head of the parish of St. John the Baptist in Pushkin, Leningrad province, was denied a permanent permit for residence. Previously, Catholic priests have simply been deprived of their Russian visas.
The secretary of the Conference of Catholic Bishops, Igor Kovalevsky, explained to Gazeta that "refusal by the offices of internal affairs of a permanent permit for residence does not mean expulsion from the country. It is not the same thing as depriving a person of a visa that had been officially issued." However, as Fr Igor told Gazeta, Czaplicki, who has lived in Russia already for about ten years, must now return to Poland within three weeks and submit documents again for getting a visa. Which, probably, will not be given. As Gazeta was told in the St. Petersburg deanery, Fr Bronislav teaches in the seminary and is working on a project, "Catholic New Martyrs of Russia," collecting information about Catholics who perished in the Gulag. A year ago this program was approved by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia and has already produced the biographies of eleven Catholics who suffered in the camps of the NKVD. Gazeta was told at the Franciscan publishing house in Moscow that "a martyrology (collection of names of martyrs) was published back in 2000, but it is not complete."
During the visit by Pope John Paul II to Ukraine, 28 Catholic priests, monks, and laity who were killed in the Gulag in the 1920s-1970s were canonized. This provoked a stormy reaction by extreme right-wing Orthodox circles in Moscow and a number of anti-Catholic actions. But whereas the question about prisoners of the Stalinist era is primarily historical, the topic of prisoners of the more recent time evokes many questions. The last Catholics emerged from the camps in 1988-1989, when RPTs already had celebrated the millennium of the baptism of Rus. Kovalevsky assured Gazeta that there is still no basis for considering the activity of Fr Bronislav in collecting information about prisoners of soviet camps to be the reason for refusing him the residency permit.
Bronislav Czaplicki himself thinks that the time has come for the Russian Catholic martyrs, particularly since the "Russian Orthodox church has canonized its own martyrs of the twentieth century." In his opinion, "their life and death is not only an example of sanctity but also a genuine testimony that Catholic church is not an alien on Russian land. It has here its own history and traditions."
But Catholics have not been recognized as a "traditional Russian confession." They have not been invited to participate in working out the new doctrine of state-church relations and they do not participate in consultations with government workers at various levels. Denial of visas has been replaced by the application of the new law on visa procedures for foreigners. According to information from Gazeta sources, this has complicated ministry in the countryside. As before, Catholic parishes in various places have been denied permission to build new houses of worship and to have old ones returned to them. As Gazeta already has reported, in the draft of the report of the Akhmad Kadyrov working group, Catholics top the list of threats to the security of the country. The ambassador of Russia to the Vatican, Vitaly Litvin, made a statement in the middle of February that provoked an outcry in Catholic circles: Catholic priests have been expelled from Russia because "they have abandoned the spiritual sphere and have engaged in activity incompatible with the status of priest." He suggested that the Holy Father send new priests and also come to Russia personally.
The "visa war" against the Vatican began after the Holy See, a year ago, transformed the apostolic nunciates into four Russian dioceses. However back in March 2001 a visa was denied to a member of the Jesuit order, Stanislav Opiela. On 4 April 2002, at Sheremetevo-2, the visa of Fr Stefano Caprio, rector of the church in Vladimir, was cancelled; on 19 April Bishop Jerzy Mazur of Irkutsk was deprived of his visa. On 26 August the Yaroslavl priest Stanislav Krainiaka, a Slovak citizen, was denied extension of his visa by MID. On 10 September Fr Eduard Mackevicz was deprived of his visa at the border. On 11 September the Sakhalin prelate Yaroslav Vishnevsky was deprived of his visa at the Khabarovsk airport. On 13 January Pope John Paul II in his speech before diplomats of 178 countries devoted more time to these persecutions than to the situation in countries where Catholics are sitting in prisons. (tr. by PDS, posted 25 February 2003)
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Today's service by the priest Fr Alexander Kuzin, who serves in the city of Dolgoe, Orel province, may be his last. Yesterday he was summoned to Orel by the head of the diocese, Bishop Paisy, and told to sign a statement of resignation. "The reason is the rejection of the Individual Taxpayer's Number (INN) and refusal to reregister the church," Fr Alexander explained to "Izvestiia." "They accuse us of being schismatics and sectarians. But this is a matter of faith for us."
Religious turmoil in Dolgoe began last fall. "We were forced, contrary to law, to participate in the census," Fr Alexander explains. "They said that if a priest and his family do not participate, then there is no place for him in the diocese." The law "On state registration of legal entities," which requires religious associations to undergo reregistration by 31 December 2002, poured gas on the fire. "The parish and monastery were equated with ordinary legal entities," Fr Alexander says. "Actually, with a commercial structure. It turns out that our purpose is making a profit, that is, serving Mammon. This is offensive for believers."
The parishioners as a whole support their pastor and, on their part, they have refused the INN. "Every one of us," Anatoly Savenkov, a resident of the provincial center explained to "Izvestiia," "is given a sacred name by the church. They are trying to depersonalize us with these numbers. Like in the concentration camps. This is very dangerous and it contradicts holy scripture."
According to Kuzin, the abbess of the Nicholas convent, Mother Antoniia Leshina, and her attendant Makariia have already suffered for their faith. "We wrote a letter to the diocese and we explained that the monastery and religious associations can exist without being legal entities and we asked for the bishop's blessing to change our status. But the diocese was adamant; the abbess was dismissed and another was assigned her place."
Believers have held several protests, gone to the head of the administration, written letters to the bishop and to Governor Stroev, and collected more than 500 signatures in support of Kuzin. But the leadership of the diocese has stood firm. Fr Alexander said, "Day before yesterday I was summoned to Orel and told to get out. Either peacefully, into retirement, or not peacefully, with consequences. I wrote a statement, but I am still serving this week."
The secretary of the Orel diocese, Ionann Troitsky, commenting on the situation in Dolgoe, suggested to "Izvestiia" that church authorities do not want to get into disputes with the state because of schismatics. "When the government needs to have reregistration, then one has to go through it. Everybody participated in the census, but they went on strike and turned believers against it."
The situation is most delicate for the local authorities. The head of the district, Vasily Smirov, finds himself between two fires. "I am accused of not being able to persuade the believers. Some have advised to lock the church up and call the police. About fifty believers came to my office and I have been at their protests myself. But I am not able to intervene in the conflict; it is very risky nowadays to play around with the church authorities or with the population. The bishop asked me to influence Kuzin and he sent his own priests there. We have tried to persuade him that the state law must be fulfilled. I begged the parishioners: relax your position or else you could lose your priest. However they stand fast. And Kuzin said, 'Thanks for the advice, but I am not able to change my convictions.'"
Smirnov makes no secret that Kuzin's removal could evoke an explosion of discontent. One believer, who asked that his name not be used, told "Izvestiia" about protest actions that are being planned. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 February 2003)
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Russian authorities have stripped a Roman Catholic priest of his residency permit and are forcing him to quit the country, a church spokesman said Monday.
Bronislaw Czaplicki, a Polish Catholic priest at the Pushkin parish just outside Saint Petersburg, had been living in Russia for around 10 years and promoted the canonization of Catholic "martyrs" from the Soviet era. "Several days ago his residency permit was retracted and he was asked to quit Russia," spokesman Igor Kovalevsky told AFP.
Czaplicki has not yet been kicked out of Russia, but "was asked to leave the country within the timeframe dictated by the law," Kovalevsky said.
The move may signal a possible revival of last year's controversial deportations of Catholic priests, a campaign which severly strained ties between Russia and the Vatican.
Russia's NTV television reported that Czaplicki was the sixth Catholic priest forced to leave Russia in the past 12 months.
Traditionally difficult relations between the Holy See and the Moscow patriarchate have worsened since the Vatican upgraded its presence in Russia by setting up four new dioceses in February 2002.
The move inflamed tensions between the two churches, with the Moscow patriarchate stepping up accusations that the Roman Catholic Church was seeking to convert its followers in the Orthodox heartlands of Russia and Ukraine.
Last week, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch, Alexy II met Antonio Mennini, the Vatican's new envoy to Russia, but sources inside the Orthodox Church said the meeting "did nothing" to improve relations. (Copyright 2003 Agence France Presse, posted 24 Febreuary 2003)
RUSSIAN CATHOLICS DO NOT SEE POLITICAL MOTIVES IN REFUSAL OF PERMANENT
RESIDENCY FOR FATHER BRONISLAW CZAPLICKI
Portal-Credo.ru,
24 FEBRUARY 2003
Recently the Roman Catholic priest Bronislaw Czaplicki received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs a negative response to his request for granting him a permanent place of residence in the Russian federation in accordance with the new law of the Russian federation regarding foreigners. According to the new law on foreigners, an alien must leave RF within two weeks upon receipt of such a denial. At the same time, Bronislaw Czaplicki has a permit for residence that was received in accordance with the old law: it expires on 6 July. "The main question now is whether Fr Bronislaw will be allowed to remain in RF until 6 July or will be forced to leave immediately," Portal-credo.ru was told by the general secretary of the Conference of Catholic Bishops, Fr Igor Kovalevsky.
No official explanations for the denial of a permanent place of residence in RF for Czaplicki have been given, but according to the law the offices of MVD are not required to do this; this is not an exile since Fr Bronislaw will be able to enter RF if he receives a regular visa. "We do not see here any sensation and we do not want to make one," Kovalesky noted. The general secretary of the Catholic Conference of Bishops thinks that all problems have arisen because the recently adopted law on foreigners was not worked out well or the appropriate nonlegislative instructions have not been developed "in practically all areas."
Bronislaw Czaplicki has lived in RF for about ten years now, while remaining a citizen of Poland. Fr Bronislaw was the rector of the Catholic parish in the city of Pushkino, Leningrad province, and was also dealing with questions of the canonization of new Catholic martyrs, in connection with which Czaplicki was able to try to obtain access to secret KGB archives, although Igor Kovalevsky does not know anything about such attempts. Kovalevsky does not associate the denial with Bronislaw Czaplicki's work, nor with "anything else other than the new law."
Polish citizen Bronislaw Czaplicki has not made any attempt to receive Russian citizenship, although such attempts have been made by several Roman Catholic bishops; Clemens Pickel became a Russian citizen, in the end, but Jerzy Mazur was expelled from Russia. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 February 2003)
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A Moscow district court resumes hearings on Tuesday into a move to ban the Jehovah's witnesses sect in Russia. The hearings into the case of Jehovah's witnesses were interrupted last April after the Moscow city court had ordered a new investigation. The case on the ban of this religious organization in Russia continues since 1998. The Jehovah's witnesses were accused of inciting religious strife, destruction of families and psychological pressure on disciples, which are very serious accusations believed to be enough to ban the sect in Russia, according to the prosecutor's of the Northern Administrative District which initiated criminal proceedings.
The movement of Jehovah's witnesses appeared at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of U.S. businessman Charles Russell. His followers appeared in Russia in 1887. At present, there are more than 360 communities of Jehovah' s witnesses in Russia, according to the sect sources.
The Jehovah's witnesses' headquarters is officially registered at the Russian Justice Ministry, while in a number of countries organizations of Jehovah's witnesses have limited powers or banned altogether.
COURT TO DECIDE ON FUTURE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' MOSCOW OFFICE
Interfax, 11 February 2003
Moscow's Golovinsky District Court on Tuesday resumed proceedings in the case on closing the Jehovah's Witnesses' Moscow office.
A lawsuit asking that the religious organization's office be liquidated was filed by the prosecutor's office of Moscow's Northern Administrative District. Galina Krylova, lawyer for the Jehovah's Witnesses, told Interfax that the court granted her petition and ordered the prosecutor's office to bring its liquidation request into line with the new Civil Procedure Code, which took effect on February 1, 2003.
Among other issues, the prosecutor's office has to make it clear whose interests it defends. "According to the new Civil Procedure Code, the prosecutor's office has to point out whose interests were violated by the office's activities. If they are certain citizens or the Christian Church, the prosecutor has to specify why they themselves have not gone to court," Krylova said.
The court has announced a break until Thursday, February 13.
The court proceedings for the Jehovah's Witnesses' case began in September 1998, after the Moscow Northern District's prosecutor's office accused the organization of inciting religious dissent, breaking up families and forcing seriously sick people to reject medical assistance for religious reasons In 2001, the Golovinsky District Court rejected the prosecutor office's closure request. This ruling was later overturned by the Moscow City Court and the case was sent for further consideration In the spring of 2002, a second trial's ruling to hold an examination of the Jehovah's Witnesses' literature was also cancelled by the Moscow City Court. The case was returned to court.
RADICAL GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS ASSAULT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
BBC Monitoring, 1 February 2003
The extremist Orthodox Christian organization Jvari Cross , based in the town of Rustavi south-east of Tbilisi , has carried out yet another attack on a gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses. Peaceful worshippers were brutally beaten up in an attack this morning, Kavkasia-Press was told at the press service of Jehovah's Witnesses. The attack was carried out by the leader of this radical Orthodox Christian organization, Paata Bluashvili and his associates. It is worth noting that although Bluashvili had repeatedly spoken in television interviews about his intentions to organize massive attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, the authorities did nothing to prevent the attack on peaceful worshippers.
According to the press service, a member of the local group of Jehovah's Witnesses, Giorgi Meparishvili, was taken to hospital after two radicals had beaten him up severely. (Source: Kavkasia-Press news agency, Tbilisi, posted 21 February 2003)
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Yesterday Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and all-Rus received the representative of Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Nuncio Antonio Mennini, in his residence on Chisty Lanc. The meeting was of a formal nature: the nuncio who is beginning his diplomatic mission in Russia arrived in order to get acquainted. However, in his conversation the patriarch still touched upon the problems that now exist between Catholics and Orthodox.
The new head of the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Russia, who is the titular archbishop of Ferento, was appointed to the embassy in Russia by the pope on 6 November of last year. Before that time Mr. Mennini occupied the analogous post in Bulgaria. Monsignor Antonio arrived in Russia on 11 January 2003. On 30 January in the Kremlin Mr. Mennini presented to Vladimir Putin his accreditation papers, after which he officially began his diplomatic mission.
KD was told at the information center of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia that yesterday's meeting bore a strictly ceremonial character. The new ambassador of the Holy See presented to Patriarch Alexis II a letter from the state secretary of the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, that officially confirmed his appointed as the head of the diplomatic mission of the Holy See in Russia. Such visits also were made by Monsignor Antonio Mennini to the Catholic Metropolitan Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz (15 January) and the chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (17 January).
Yesterday's acquaintance of the patriarch with the Vatican's ambassador took place in the Red Hall of the patriarchal residence. Monsignor Antonio was accompanied in his visit to the head of the Russian Orthodox church by the secretary of the representation of the Holy See in the Russian federation, Fr Tomas Grysa. On the part of the Russian Orthodox church, an employee of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate for inter-Christian relations, Igor Vyzhanov, also participated in the meeting.
Delivering Cardinal Sodano's letter to Alexis II, Archbishop Antonio expressed to the head of the Russian Orthodox church profound respect in the name of the head of the Holy See. In his response the patriarch said that Mr. Mennini had come to Russia at a difficult time, although his experience of work in Orthodox Bulgaria would benefit him. Then the meeting went behind closed doors. KD has learned that during the conversation the two sides discussed problems which currently exist in relations between the Moscow patriarchate and the Roman Catholic church. In particular, the patriarch expressed his concern in connection with the continuing practice of proselytism in Russia and told the Vatican's representative about the troublesome conditions for Orthodox Christians in western Ukraine. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 February 2003)
PUTIN THINKS POPE'S VISIT TO MOSCOW IS NECESSARY, SAYS ENVOY
Russian Aide Rules Out Return of Bishop Mazur and Others Who Were Expelled
Zenit, 18 February 2003
Russia's representative to the Vatican said that President Vladimir Putin regards John Paul II's visit to his country as necessary, so long as the Orthodox Church welcomes him too.
In an interview with the Moscow newspaper Vremja Novostej, Vitaly Litvin said: "The Pope's visit to Moscow is not only possible but also necessary."
"However, some obstacles must be removed in the dialogue between the Churches," he added. "The Pope cannot go only as head of state. He is, at the same time, head of a Church -- that is why it is unthinkable that he not meet with the patriarch of Moscow during his visit. It is necessary to prepare a normal terrain so that the visit will be productive."
Referring to the obstacles that exist in the dialogue between Rome and the Orthodox patriarchate, Litvin mentioned the alleged "proselytism" of Catholics in Russia, and the question of Eastern-rite Catholics in Ukraine.
The envoy also touched upon the question of the Catholic bishop and priests expelled from the Russian Federation last year.
According to the diplomat, their expulsion "has nothing to do with their religious activity," hence, "the accusations against Russia of fomenting an anti-Catholic campaign are totally unfounded."
Litvin added that "some representatives of the Catholic Church had gone beyond their spiritual sphere and begun to dedicate themselves to activities that are incompatible with their condition as priests."
"It is not something normal for a representative of the clergy to dedicate himself to purely commercial activities," he added. He offered no proof to back up his charges.
In response, Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops' conference, described the accusations as "incomprehensible and even insulting."
Litvin added that the Holy See "must not have any illusions about the return of the pastors who, having violated Russian legislation, have had their visas canceled." He said, however, that the Kremlin is not opposed to these priests being replaced by others.
According to the newspaper Vremja Novostej, since the arrival of Archbishop Antonio Mennini, the new Vatican representative in Moscow, there has been an improvement in relations between the government and the Holy See.
Relations between the Orthodox Church and Rome deteriorated in 2002 after four Catholic dioceses were established in the Russian Federation. Among those later expelled was Bishop Jerzy Mazur, of the Siberian Diocese of St. Joseph in Irkutsk. (posted 21 February 2003)
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In Russia the church is pursuing the state. It seems the state is not opposed. The main common focus is the most massive of state structures, the schools. On 1 February, in Moscow, the eleventh international Christmas Educational Readings came to an end, during which around 10,000 participants from various ends of the country and the near abroad, including clergy and leaders of education and culture, exchanged experience and discussed pedagogical problems.
The first plenary session was held in the Kremlin palace under the chairmanship of Patriarch Alexis II. From representatives of the State Duma and the Federation Council the audience heard their fill of familiar speeches about the poor state of the country and the necessity of joint efforts between church and state in the work of the moral education of youth, etc. Organizers announced as the main topic of the Orthodox-pedagogical forum the teaching of "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" in the schools. Obviously taking account of the negative reaction of the public, the speakers often spoke about the elective teaching of this subject. "The church has no illusions about returning under the wing of the state," the chief organizer of the Christmas Readings, Archimandrite Ioann Ekonomtsev, declared. Unfortunately, though, a certain part of the church leadership is striving as previously (in any case in the sphere of education) to achieve the splendid "yesterday." It is enough to review the sample contents of a "'Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" textbook in order to be convinced that we are faced with one version of the prerevolutionary class, with all its attendant consequences. The fascinating thing about this situation is that the Ministry of Education proposes to introduce the new course within the framework of the so-called religious component of the curriculum. This means that at the district level, "Fundamentals" can be placed on the schedule and the "electiveness" automatically is placed in question, if local authorities make the appropriate decision.
However, the discussion of the introduction of religious education in the schools did not exhaust the topics of the Christmas Readings. At round tables and sections, in addition to the most acute questions, favorite fundamentalist topics were also discussed: "struggle with new religious movements" and "the necessity of closer relations between the church and agencies of internal affairs and the army." The titles of several addresses recall the style of the soviet past: "Spiritual-moral bases of the formation of the personality of employees of the agencies of internal affairs," and the like.
The forum demonstrated that our church really is not separated from society and contemporary Orthodoxy constitutes a variety of positions, opinions, and approaches, from the most obscurantist and old-fashioned to quite creative and imaginative. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 February 2003)
FOR A CHURCH PARTY
by Valery Kuznetsov
Vremia MN, 1 February 2003
Soon Samara schools may be turned into church parishes.
In Samara school No. 54 the first domestic church was opened in Russia. It was consecrated and the first prayer meeting was held in it by Archbishop Sergius of Samara and Syzransk himself. He noted that "the opening of the first school church is a very symbolic event on the way to the spiritual regeneration not only of Samara but also of all Russia." In the opinion of the director of the school, Lidia Vulkina, this "undoubtedly will permit raising the spiritual-moral level of the pupils and elevate their common culture."
And the directors of all other Samara schools are required as soon as possible to find on their staffs historians and philologists who desire to be retrained for teaching the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture. Such a desire (in essence, a requirement) is contained in a joint appeal to them from the director of the Department of Science and Education of the provincial administration, Efim Kogan, and Archbishop Sergius. Until recently, these two officials, secular and ecclesiastical, were virtually mortal enemies. The hostility began immediately after Efim Kogan took the initiative to introduce into the schools essentially by fiat a course in "Sex education." One of the resources for this course was a flashy booklet, "Contraceptives--your friend," prepared by a writing team lead by the top teacher of the province.
And now the "ice and flame" has intensified in another burst. It happened after a public and extremely emotional meeting of workers from education and the clergy. The latter somehow persuaded the former that without knowledge of Orthodox culture, contemporary school children do not know not only who Serafim of Sarof was, but also who Fedor Dostoevsky was. In the end, the two sides came to a consensus, deciding that there was no way to avoid the teaching of Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture in state schools. And nobody recalled that in our country the church still is separated from the state.
This decision caused great displeasure on the part of the majority of directors of Samara schools, in no way less than with respect to the introduction of sex education. Today in practically all schools there is inadequate teaching staff even for teaching the subjects of basic grammar, because of chronic delays and inadequate pay even without this. But the team above them still must do this, despite the fact that now in the schools the pupils represent quite diverse nationalities and the simple introduction of Orthodox classes, even if voluntary, can create absolutely unnecessary internal tensions among the school children. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 February 2003)
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It seems that there is no lack of curiosities among the new religious confessions. For example, the followers of the sect of neopelagians, which arose among some persons who broke off from Orthodoxy, are convinced that a fat priest has been deprived of grace. This was described by the fascinating warrior against totalitarian religious associations in Russia, Alexander Dvorkin. According to him, "the maximum weight of a priest has been set at eighty kilograms." And the weight does not depend on growth. Neopelagians also think that the devil is sitting within the scorching core of the planet earth. And the punishment of sinners after death occurs in proximity to him. The sectarians have composed a detailed map which shows how with each kilometer of penetration into the underworld the temperature, and corresponding torment, increases by one degree Celsius.
The well known publicist Deacon Andrei Kuraev devoted his paper to the writer Tolkien. The "Lord of the Rings" movie, which is taken from his works, is now enjoying enormous popularity in Russia. Some priests for some reason have decided that enthusiasm for the works of Tolkien is a "straight road to hell." Kuraev calmed down the audience, comparing the works of the English writer with Russian national folk tales. It seems children suffer no harm from them but, on the contrary, receive valuable moral teaching. And Harry Potter, whom some have accused of "neopaganism," also is harmless.
A specialist in the area of totalitarian sects, Yury Kondratiev, described how a textbook for missionaries of the Mormon sect fell into his hands. It is possible that such means are being used by intelligence agents. The first step in evangelism is "establishing relations of confidence." At this stage it is recommended not to discuss religious questions and to establish friendly relations with a prospective Mormon. Talk about your family, show pictures, and then ask about joining. At every opportunity, flatter the "candidate." At the second stage it is necessary to establish relationships on the basis of common views, promoting religious ideas. Avoid matters of disagreement. In this way step by step the professional sectarians draw people into their nets.
Recently Mormon missionaries have often been arrested near open military objects in Russia and this has provoked legitimate suspicion of their links with foreign intelligence agencies. "A Mormon is an ideal agent who does not even require any kind of special training," Yury Kondratiev said. "Every one of them is obliged to work abroad for two years and to learn how to recruit new members. Thus they often know foreign languages quite well and they are accomplished in the practice of psychology of shaping up potential agents.
The majority of participants of the conference are sure that now the most effective means for combating the expansion of totalitarians sects is to provide people correct information about them. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 February 2003)
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