associated press 19 sept

Friday, September 19, 1997; 7:10 a.m. EDT

Revised Russia Religion Bill Adopted

By Anna Dolgov, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW (AP) -- Parliament's lower house overwhelmingly adopted a revised religion bill today that would curtail the rights of so-called foreign religions. The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from abroad.

The bill would enshrine Russia's Orthodox Church as the country's preeminent religion and also pledges respect for ``traditional'' faiths, including Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity.

``The law protects the traditional Russian religion, Orthodoxy, so we believe it undoubtedly must be adopted,'' said Viktor Zorkaltsev chairman of parliament's committee for religion and public organizations. ``It creates a barrier for totalitarian sects and limits the activity of foreign missionaries.''

Supporters of the bill say Russia needs to protect itself from foreign sects and cults which have been coming to the country since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union.

But critics say the influential Russian Orthodox Church is backing the measure as a way to prevent other Christians, such as Catholics and Protestants, from operating freely in Russia.

Catholics and Protestants have been increasingly active in Russia. The Mormons, for example, now have about 500 missionaries in Russia and thousands of church members nationwide.

President Boris Yeltsin vetoed the original bill in July in response to foreign opposition from the Vatican and the U.S. Congress, among others.

But he's expected to sign the revised version, which will reach his desk if it's also approved by parliament's upper house. The upper house, or Federation Council, is virtually certain to approve the legislation sometime after its fall session begins next week.

Today, lawmakers in the lower house, or Duma, voted 358-6, in favor of the bill.

One of the most controversial clauses says that religious groups must be present in Russia for 15 years before they can publish or distribute religious literature, or invite foreigners for preaching activities.

Such groups cannot hold worship services in hospitals, senior citizens' homes, schools, orphanages or prisons. They could not form educational establishments, found newspapers or magazines, and their clergy would not be exempt from military service.

Only a handful of religious groups were allowed to operate during the Soviet era, with its official ideology of atheism, and therefore most do not meet the 15-year requirement.

Groups which have not yet registered would have even fewer rights and would have to inform the government of their existence every year in order to receive limited rights after 15 years.

Critics argue that despite minor changes, the new bill is as restrictive as the old one, and in some ways more so. They say both versions violate the 1993 Russian constitution, which says that all religions should be treated equally.