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Protestants in Russia facing increased pressure

Protestants in Russia are facing increased pressure from the Orthodox Church and the state. Protestants are frequently labeled and treated as “totalitarian sects”, reports Wolfgang Polzer, special to ASSIST News Service.

Recent press reports, for instance in the New York Times, featured incidents in the Russian city of Stary Oskol, approximately 350 miles south of Moscow. Members of the secret service FSB “visited” a small Methodist congregation recently.

The church with approximately 40 members meets in a private apartment. According to Pastor Vladimir Pachomov an officer predicted that Protestantism in Russia would probably soon come to an end.

After the uninvited visit by the FSB the local authorities denied the group state recognition as a religious association. The authorities claimed that the religious activities were only a “facade” for unspecified business transactions.

Unofficially, other reasons were mentioned to Pachomov. It was alleged that the Methodist group was under American influence and perceived to be a “foreign element”, from which nothing good could be expected.

Other reports from Stary Oskol mention that police broke up an Adventist gathering. Evangelical Christians-Baptists were denied the use of a rented theater. The city has 220,000 inhabitants; 2,000 of them are Protestants.

The local Russian Orthodox Church has also launched derogatory attacks on Protestants. Father Alexy Zorin, the local church leader, claimed on television that Protestants are “dividing Jesus’ garment”. He compared Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Pentecostals and other Protestants with Roman soldiers, who crucified Jesus.

Russian Orthodox Archbishop Joann alleged that most Protestant churches were founded with “Western money”. The Russian people were, however, deeply rooted in the Orthodox faith. The state would do well to strengthen these ties.

Dimitry Peskov, spokesperson for the All-Russian Administration in the Kremlin, said, in principle all religions were treated equal by the constitution. But, he added, the Russian Orthodox Church happened to be the most popular.

Michail Odintsov, member of a human rights commission installed by President Vladimir Putin, admits that there is no significant political force to protect the principles of religious freedom.

According to a recent poll, 71 percent of the 142 million citizens of the Russian Federation profess allegiance to the Orthodox faith. In 2003, the percentage stood at 59 percent. The number of Russian Protestants (Baptists, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Lutherans, Methodists and Adventists) is estimated at roughly one million.

[04/30/2008]

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