YAKOV KROTOV

May 16, 2001, 23.45 PM, Moscow

Sources of Anti-Catholicism

On Saturday, May 12, about 1,000 people protested here Saturday against John Paul II's forthcoming visit to Ukraine. I've worked not far from the place of meeting. Although Catholic agency Zenit stated that there was "the backing of Russian Orthodox Church leaders," it is not quite precise. No official representatives of the Moscow Patriarchy have been present. Moreover, this meeting coincided (not unintentionally) with the meeting of Zhirinovsky, who is too odious for Moscow Patriarchy as well.

Patriarch Alexy said that apology of the Pope is "only a declaration." He still wants Rome to make further concessions to the Moscow Patriarchy; cash preferable, I guess. Patriarch think that Pope uses words as it is usual in the East, in order to lie.

I was asked about the reasons of anti-Catholic feelings in Russia. I think that as any xenophobia anti-Catholicism is of different sorts. Patriarch Alexy and Metr. Kirill Gundyaev, leaders of the Patriarchy, are well-educated people, they knowingly distort reality speaking about the persecution of Russian Orthodox by Greek Catholics. Their anti-Catholicism is a part of anti-Westernisation, now again encouraged by the Russian government.

The anti-Catholicism of crowd, of lower classes is of another sort. Very often it has a character of opposition to the governmental policy (this is why Patriarchy keeps distance from such movements.) The same people are anti-Protestant, anti-Semitic, anti-American, anti-German (visit of Pope is compared with Hitler's aggression.) This xenophobia in Russia (I think in Greece it is different) is a part of resentment, nuisance sometimes just and always senseless.