Thursday, June 14, 2012

Rome is weeping but Moscow isn't laughing either

Rome is weeping but Moscow isn't laughing either. 

It is not just the Vatican that has been having image problems lately. 

 The Russian Orthodox Church is not doing too well either. 

http://www.mospat.ru/wp-content/themes/news_10/images/logoru.pngVladimir Vigilanski, the spokesman for the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill lost his job after the gaffe involving an expensive watch that was clumsily deleted from Kirill’s wrist using Photoshop. 

Vigilanski was also in charge of the Patriarchate’s website.
  
Under Kirill’s orders, the spokesman was replaced by deputy, Alexander Volkov. The official document that gives the reason for the replacement, says Vigilanski has been appointed rector of a church that is being built in Zaitseva, a village near Moscow. 

The Patriarchate’s image was also tainted in recent months by the multi-million lawsuit for the damage caused to an apartment under Kirill’s ownership that is currently inhabited by a relative of his, by the dust spread during the renovation work being done on the former health minister, Yuri Shevchenko’s, nearby house. 

Faithful also heavily protested against the Patriarchate’s appeal for the severe condemnation of the three activists in Russian punk rock collective, Pussy Riot, who were arrested after a show in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
  
The Patriarchate claims their decision was spontaneous: the former spokesman, who had served since 2005, will become the rector of a church that is being built in a village near Moscow. 

Vigilanski confirmed that the choice was due to the fact that he could not carry out both roles at the same time. 

But it seems only natural to link this to the scandals that plagued the Russian Church last spring: from the trial against punk group Pussy Riot (the appeal by church members to severely punish the young people who participated in “blasphemous prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral provoked the contempt of society), to the photo of Kirill wearing his enormously expensive watch which was then doctored and published on the Patriarchate’s website, attracting mocking comments from bloggers. 

The website is run by the press office led by Vigilanski (who is to be replaced by Alexander Volkov).
  
Nevertheless, the priest announced he was soon going to publish a new book on the recent scandals surrounding the Patriarchate, which has apparently received Kirill’s blessing. Since the beginning of Putin’s third mandate, the Orthodox Church has offered its support, as a religious power, to the Kremlin. The leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church is attempting to Christianise the country’s government, encouraging a nationalistic approach to ethical and social issues. 

“Illegal immigration must be contained through more severe rules,” the Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations said: “This is what the majority of Russians want.” 

This endorsement, however, turns a blind eye to the “tsar’s” drift towards authoritarian rule.
  
Now all that is needed is President Vladimir Putin’s signature to get the controversial bill – which would exponentially increase sanctions against those who take part in unauthorised demonstrations – through. 

According to human rights defenders, the text jeopardises the right to free demonstration, established in the federal Constitution. 

"The controversial law was okayed on 6 June by the Federation Council of Russia, after being approved by the Duma at the end of a debate which lasted 11 hours,” reported AsiaNews the news agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME).  

Such an eventful session had not been witnessed since the 90’s when Yeltsin was in power (his, is remembered as one of the most riotous parliaments in modern Russian history). 

The opposition presented masses of amendments to the document proposed by the majority party, United Russia.  

For those who participate in unauthorised demonstrations, the new regulations increase previous sanctions by 200%: the maximum penalty for individuals is 300 thousand rouble, 600 thousand rouble for public officials and one million rouble for legal figures.

To incur a fine, AsiaNews pointed out, individuals or groups do not necessarily have to display “obvious political symbols.” 

“Simultaneous mass gatherings” in a given place, however, can count as unauthorised demonstrations. This specification is aimed at hindering even the more creative forms of protest that have been organised by the opposition in recent months. For example, strolls through the centre’s streets or sit-ins in parks displaying nothing but white ribbons as a symbol of the protest. 

Now, for the text to become law, it needs Putin’s signature.
  
The head of the federal human rights council, Mikhail Fedotov, has already announced that he will ask Putin to veto the document which is seen as going against Article 31 of the Constitution. 

This Article guarantees the right to free demonstration. 

The new law has attracted criticism, not just from Russia’s political opposition, but also from organisations such as Human Rights Watch and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 

The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri Peskov announced that the president “will hear everyone” before taking a decision. 

But the chances of the law being rejected are slim: two days ago, Putin himself declared he favoured the initiative which – according to him – would bring Russia up to standard with current European legislation.