MOSCOW, Apr 30, 02 (CWNews.com) - A leading Russian newspaper has advanced the theory that President Vladimir Putin ordered the expulsion of a Catholic bishop in a roundabout effort to advance the prospects of a visit to Russia by Pope John Paul II.
The newspaper, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, suggested that the Russian president decided to revoke the visa of Bishop Jerzy Mazur because he was confident the Russian Orthodox Church would be blamed for the move. He reasoned that Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II would then be under pressure to make some concession to the Vatican, to smooth over the situation.
The Orthodox prelate has, to date, rejected proposals for a papal visit to Moscow. President Putin, on the other hand, has indicated that he would be pleased by a papal visit. But the Vatican has said that the Holy Father will not visit Russian against the wishes of the Moscow Patriarch.
The conspiratorial theory advanced by Nezavisimaya Gazeta has been proven accurate in at least one respect. Despite the public denials set forth by the Moscow Patriarchate, most observers do believe that the expulsion of Bishop Mazur was due to pressure from the Orthodox Church.
In a related development, 55,000 Russians have signed a message to the Vatican, protesting the establishment of four Catholic dioceses in the country. The statement was circulated at conferences held on Sunday, April 28, in 20 Russian provinces, under the auspices of the Russian People's Party and the Union of Orthodox Citizens.
Gennadiy Raykov, a member of the Russian parliament, told the media that the signatories see the new dioceses as the Catholic Church's "spiritual expansion, which may turn out to be irreversible."
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30. april 2002