Forum 18: Protestants in Russia are finding it increasingly difficult to rent premises

The international agency Forum 18 claims that Protestant organizations in Russia are facing increasing difficulties in renting space for worship. Moreover, according to the agency, the situation has worsened over the past few months.

Forum 18 columnist Geraldine Fagan gives examples of refusals from administrations of the DC, cinemas, etc. in providing premises to various Protestant churches in Kyzyl, Saratov, the Saratov region (in particular, in the city of Engels), Moscow and the Moscow region. Protestants themselves believe that the reason for such refusals is the desire of local authorities and special services to restrict the activities of non-Orthodox religious organizations. Moscow lawyer Anatoly Pchelintsev stated bluntly that the ROC MP increased pressure on regional authorities and cultural institutions in order to force them not to lease premises to Protestants.

Sergei Sychev, another Moscow lawyer who specializes in protecting the interests of believers, noted that, as a rule, religious organizations rent state-owned space. In this case, the direct landlord, if he officially provides the premises, must inform the federal authorities. If he does not do this, then he is not obliged to explain the reasons for his refusal.

In the next article on the same topic, J. Fagan writes that regional authorities often impede the attempts of Protestants to obtain land for the construction of their own religious buildings. True, according to her, this kind of obstruction by state bodies is less common than difficulties with renting premises.

As examples of the opposition of regional authorities to Protestant communities seeking to build a church or prayer house, the article mentions the problems of the Moscow Emmanuel Church (the issue has not yet been resolved, despite the promises of officials) and Voronezh Pentecostals .

In most cases, it is impossible to prove that the actions of officials who put obstacles to Protestants are influenced by the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, notes J. Fagan, this kind of connection between the Orthodox clergy and government officials can be quite obvious. An example (though not typical) is the decision of the Saratov Committee for Architecture and Construction, which prohibited the local Word of Life Pentecostal Church from placing a sign with the name of this religious organization on the wall of the building it occupies. In justification of this decision, the chief architect of the city, Vladimir Virich, directly referred to the "letter of the Saratov diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church for N 490 dated April 19, 2005."

are mentioned, the victory of the Ark Baptist Church In addition, the Forum 18 observer writes, Protestants in Russia often have to fight to retain the rights to the property they managed to acquire (the difficulties of the Pentecostal community in Mineralnye Vody over officials in Balashikha , the opposition of Baptists from the village of Lyubuchany near Moscow with local authorities).

Sources

• Fagan G. RUSSIA: Growing restrictions on rental by Protestants // Forum 18. 2005. August 19.
• Idem. RUSSIA: Growing obstruction to Protestant church property ownership // Ibid. August 24.