http://www.christianpost.com/article/20 ... theist.htm
Gorbachev Dispels 'Closet Christian' Rumors; Says He is Atheist
By
Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Mon, Mar.
24 2008 05:21 PM ET
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made clear
this past weekend that he is an atheist after
European news agencies last week claimed that he
had confirmed his Christian faith during a visit
to the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy.
Gorbachev, the last communist leader of the
Soviet Union, confronted speculations that he had
been a closeted Christian during an interview
with the Russian news agency Interfax.
"Over the last few days some media have been
disseminating fantasies – I can't use any other
word – about my secret Catholicism, citing my
visit to the Sacro Convento friary, where the
remains of St.
Francis of Assisi lie," Gorbachev
said, according to an Interfax article posted Friday.
"To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings, let
me say that I have been and remain an atheist,” he stated.
Rumors for decades had circulated that Gorbachev
was a Christian after he moved to loosen
restrictions on religious worship and expressed
to a party congress a year before the communist
state dissolved that “spiritual rebirth is as
essential to society as oxygen,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
As a result, media agencies had jumped to
conclusions when Gorbachev visited St.
Francis’
tomb last Wednesday and was seen kneeling for
half an hour in silence at the tomb.
But Gorbachev, who was baptized Russian Orthodox
as a child, explained that his visit to the tomb
was as a tourist and not a pilgrim.
He
acknowledged the important role religion plays in
society and said he looks forward to visiting
Orthodox churches in Russia, Catholic and
Protestant churches in the United States and
Europe, synagogues in Israel and mosques in the
Arab world, according to Interfax.
"But all these years, it has never occurred to
anyone to list me among followers of any faith on that basis," Gorbachev noted.
Back in Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church
seemed unimpressed with Gorbachev’s visit to St. Francis’ tomb.
"In Italy, he spoke in emotional terms, rather
than in terms of faith," a spokesman for the
Russian Orthodox patriarch Alexei II told the Russian media.
"He is still on his way to Christianity. If he arrives, we will welcome him.
"
