Posted on 03/19/2008 7:17:10 AM PDT by NYer
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader of the Soviet Union, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time, paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.
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Accompanied by his daughter Irina, Mr Gorbachev spent half an hour on his knees in silent prayer at the tomb.
His arrival in Assisi was described as "spiritual perestroika" by La Stampa, the Italian newspaper.
"St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ," said Mr Gorbachev. "His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life," he added.
Mr Gorbachev's surprise visit confirmed decades of rumours that, although he was forced to publicly pronounce himself an atheist, he was in fact a Christian, and casts a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1989 in a new light.
Mr Gorbachev, 77, was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church and his parents were Christians.
In addition, the parents of his wife Raisa were deeply religious and were killed during the Second World War for having religious icons in their home.
Ronald Reagan, the former United States president, allegedly told his close aides on a number of occasions that he felt his opponent during the Cold War was a "closet believer".
Mr Reagan held deep religious convictions himself. However, until now Mr Gorbachev has allowed himself to express only pantheistic views, saying in one interview "nature is my god".
After his prayers, Mr Gorbachev toured the Basilica of St Francis and asked in particular to be shown an icon of St Francis portraying his "dream at Spoleto".
St Francis, who lived in the 12th century, was a troubadour and a poet before the spiritual vision caused him to return to Assisi and contemplate a religious life.
Even in his early days, St Francis helped the poor, once giving all of his money to a beggar. As well as spending time in the wilderness, he also nursed lepers and eventually became a priest.
"It was through St Francis that I arrived at the Church, so it was important that I came to visit his tomb," said Mr Gorbachev.
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"I feel very emotional to be here at such an important place not only for the Catholic faith, but for all humanity."
He also asked the monks for theological books to help him understand St Francis's life.
Father Miroslavo Anuskevic, who accompanied the former Soviet leader, said: "He was not recognised by any of the worshippers in the church, and silently meditated at the tomb for a while. He seemed a man deeply inspired by charity, and told me that he was involved in a project to help children with cancer.
"He talked a lot about Russia and said that even though the transition to democracy had been very important
for the world, it was very painful for Russia. He said it was a country which has a great history, and also a great spirituality."
Gorby rocks.
It’s never too late.........
Catholic Ping
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"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Criminy - is he going to run for the Dem. nomination, TOO ?
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
God works in mysterious ways...
He was visiting a Roman Catholic basilica in the company of a Lithuanian Catholic priest.
He may well be Catholic now.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
He happily renounced christianity in order to join the communist party and in the nineties made obeisance to gaia. Now the shadows are drawing long and he’s no longer a rock star so he’s coming back. Whatever.
Hell, he’s to the right of the two we have now...
This isn’t new. He’s just making it public. IIRC, his mother was a Christian and prayed for him many years. I found an article written about his faith many years ago. Several Christians in a History class I took got into a discussion about it in class and brought in the article to the teacher.
I don’t judge these guys (or anyone) either way. Just remember Anti-Christ will be a very religious person.
THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
OF RONALD REAGAN
Paul Kengor has written a good book on a subject no author adequately covered until he took it up: the deep and abiding religious faith of Ronald Reagan. President Reagan’s faith, Kengor shows, permeated every part of his life and therefore played a major role in shaping his views on every subject from abortion and school prayer to foreign affairs and the American vision in history.
This may surprise many. After all, Reagan rarely attended church and made no dramatic professions of his Christianity - or at least none that made TV and entered the memory of the nation. But, as Kengor notes, “Rather than bringing himself to church, President Reagan brought the church to his presidency.”
It was Reagan’s faith that led him to see the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.” And it was his Christian identity, Kengor tells Insight, that gave him the quiet confidence and self-certainty that made him a great leader and earned him the sobriquet “the great communicator.”
Kengor, who is an associate professor of political science at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, shows how early on - and how deeply - regular prayer became a part of Reagan’s life. It remained a part of his life as president too, when he began private prayers before Cabinet meetings. And then there were the prayers with families of Marines who died in battle.
A close associate of Reagan told Kengor that a favorite hymn of the president’s, particularly during his second term, was the familiar one, the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. ...
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
O divine master grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console
to be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to eternal life
Amen.”
(I’m sure that close friend was Judge Clark, who did the back and forths to the Vatican back then)
Now liberals will have to rewrited history and remove all the praise of Gorby. I was amazed at reading a textbook of world history. Gorby got a whole chapter at how he dismantled the Soviet Union, and Reagan was only mention in one short paragraph in the proceeding chapter. Thather did not even rate a mention, and Pope John Paul was given a mention.
I wish him well. I souldn’t see another politican from the Soviet Union that could have worked with Ronald Reagan as he did. A brave and courageous man.
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