Freedom stable for church in Russia, say religious liberty experts

Published: 2006-07-12

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- While the Catholic Church still has problems in Russia, the religious freedom situation has stabilized, said officials of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom after returning from a fact-finding trip. "The situation is not as tense as it was three years ago when we were there," said Joseph Crapa, commission executive director. Crapa and several other commission staffers who visited Russia June 17-28 gave a July 11 briefing to reporters, congressional staffers and representatives of human rights organizations. The independent, bipartisan commission was created by law in 1998 to advise President George W. Bush, the State Department and Congress on ways to promote religious freedom around the world. Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput and Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces, N.M., are members of the commission. Neither one was in the delegation visiting Russia.

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