Priest says Estonian Catholics shaken after repeated riots

Published: 2007-05-02

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Catholics in Estonia remain "shaken and afraid" by repeated riots in the capital, Tallinn, after a government decision to dismantle a Soviet war memorial sparked angry reactions from ethnic Russians. "People aren't accustomed to such violence here," said Father Alfonso Di Giovanni, the Italian rector of Tallinn's Sts. Peter and Paul Parish. "They're badly shaken and fearful, and many have had windows broken and their homes damaged. We've held prayers every night, asking God to touch people's hearts, and tried to stay close to those affected," he said. Rioting by ethnic Russians in Tallinn and other towns in late April left one dead and more than 150 injured and was matched by violent anti-Estonian protests in Moscow. Father Guy Barbier de Courtois, a French priest in Tallinn, said the war memorial was viewed by Russians as symbolizing "the end of the war and Nazi regime," but by Estonians as "the start of the Soviet era and mass deportations to Siberia." In a telephone interview May 1, he told Catholic News Service, "It's hard to believe people have such strong feelings about distant issues like this -- the violence has clearly been fueled by propaganda."

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .