[McGavin999]

Don't you think it might be a good idea to find out WHY this Bishop was refused? Perhaps the Russians are disturbed about the stories that are coming out about Priests in the USA. They have finally been allowed to return to God and maybe they want to make sure their people are not disillusioned. They could be wanting to wait until the Holy Father makes his final statement on what has been happening. It's a shame that all priests must be tarred by this ugly brush, but, the Russians are extremely fond of their children.

[history_matters]

No, I do not think so.

[history_matters]

Perhaps the Russians are disturbed about the stories that are coming out about Priests in the USA.

No, I do not think so.

[Domestic Church]

Last week the Russian Duma failed to halt a motion asking President Vladimir Putin to close the four Catholic dioceses recently created by John Paul II. The motion states the "activity of the Catholic Church in Russia must be prohibited because it represents a threat to Russia´s integrity," given its alleged intent "to impose its will on our people" as if the country were "a spiritual desert."

So the Duma passed a motion asking Putin to close the 4 new Dioceses as a threat to Russia's integrity. Why didn't we see this news ahead of the action?

Doesn't anyone from the press watch the Duma? Is the Duma shuttered to the press corp? How about the Russian press? Did they cover this in the Duma? I do think that this was done now to utilize the Catholic crisis to covertly move back to old style (USSR) relations with the Vatican and the manner in which it was done harkens back too.

The government there must still have strong control over the Russian Church from the inside and sees Catholicism as an independent threat to nip in the bud. Now I wonder what else is covertly reverting back to the USSR there.