July 23, 1997 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - On Tuesday, July 22, President Boris Yeltsin vetoed the bill which would have sharply curtailed religious liberty in Russia. In returning the bill to Parliament, Yeltsin indicated, though, that he would support the measure if it were presented in a different form. The Russian parliament can modify the bill and return it to Yeltsin, or it can override Yeltsin's veto by a two-thirds majority, which would force Yeltsin to sign the bill in its present form. The following information is from the New York Times news service:

"Yeltsin’s was a difficult choice between conscience and expedience, and the decision is bound to have painful political repercussions for him. The law was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Parliament in an effort to protect the Russian Orthodox Church from competition from other religions.

"Human rights organizations, Pope John Paul II, the U.S. Congress and the State Department denounced the measure as infringing on the rights of minority religions.

"Yeltsin, who had vetoed milder versions of the bill in the past, has made his personal commitment to religious freedom clear. But the passions aroused by the bill—and the opposition to it abroad—made his decision far more problematic.

"While Parliament routinely opposes Yeltsin on major initiatives, it is rare for the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church to speak out on so contentious an issue. Last Sunday, the patriarch, Aleksy II, likened the ‘eastward expansion of foreign sects and missionaries in Russia’ to the expansion of NATO.

"The battle is not over. If Parliament overrides Yeltsin’s veto by a two-thirds majority, Yeltsin will be obliged to sign the bill. In many regions of Russia, moreover, local legislatures have already passed their own laws restricting the activities of minority religions.

"The bill was drafted to help the Russian Orthodox Church combat the encroachment of foreign religions like evangelical Christian groups, Scientology and, most particularly, cults like Aum Shinrikyo of Japan, which attracted thousands of followers in Russia.

"But as written, the law would have severely limited the activities of any religion that was not registered by the Soviet state 15 years ago, when society was officially atheist and religious activists were persecuted.

"The law cited the Russian Orthodox Church, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam as traditional religions. All other faiths, including Roman Catholicism and the Baptist movement, could have fallen into the category of foreign, and unwelcome, denominations and be stripped of their property and rights to proselytize.

"Even favored religions fear that the law would effectively restore the Russian Orthodox Church, with its 60 million believers, to the position as the state religion of Russia that it enjoyed before the 1917 Revolution.

"Yeltsin, who is on vacation on the Volga River, coated his veto with conciliatory language. In a statement issued by his Kremlin office Tuesday night, the president said, ‘There is no doubt that the law is necessary. It must protect moral and spiritual health of Russians and prevent the penetration of radical sects inflicting serious damage to the health and psyche of our citizens.’

"Yeltsin stated, ‘But signing the law in its present form would have led to religious conflicts inside the country.’ He added, ‘There can be no democratic society where the Constitution is not observed, where the interests of any minority is not protected.’"