Multicultural in Moscow

A young boy greets one of the clergy during mass at St. Louis des Francais church. PHOTO: Courtesy of St.Louis des Francais

In the midst of the towering Russian office buildings that once formed the stronghold of the KGB sits St. Louis des Francais church, at 12 Malaya Lubyanca, in central Moscow. Inside, one can attend masses celebrated in French, English, Latin, Russian, or Polish, depending on the time of day. More than Muscovites fill the pews. The church also serves French diplomats, African university students, Polish migrants and American tourists.

The diversity that abounds in Moscow's Catholic parishes in many ways has enabled their survival. Suppressed almost into submission under Communism, some Catholic churches, like St. Louis, which fell under the protection of the French embassy, managed to stay open to serve foreign diplomats and their families.

Today, more than a dozen years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Catholic Church in Moscow retains this distinctly multicultural feel. It also serves as a center of community for many immigrant groups that feel otherwise isolated in a city in which strong ethnic enclaves have never developed.

"St. Louis was the image of the Catholic Church under Communism," said Olga Karpova, an editor and reporter at Svet Evangelia, a weekly Catholic newspaper. The church building itself is unspectacular: diminutive, yellow and in need of fresh paint. But the congregation is enthusiastic. "Some people traveled all the way from Siberia to go there under the Soviets," Karpova continued. "They would maybe attend church only once in their life, and they did so at great risk."

Indeed, though the Russian government sanctioned St. Louis officially, the KGB bugged the confessionals and spied on the mostly foreign congregation. "Everyone knew about it," Karpova said. "They would visit their priests in the streets, in the park, in his flat. Whatever they needed to do."

Since the demise of Communism, many more Russians have joined the St. Louis congregation, but it still acts as a central meeting place for many immigrant groups, including French, Italian, Sri Lankan and American.

The Rev. Adrien Masson, a French priest who preaches at St. Louis, estimated that his parish included members from about 20 countries. The church operates a St. Vincent de Paul center that acts as a relief station for new immigrants as well as a French-language school that serves many of the parish's French and African children. There are now 450 students studying at the school, but, Masson said, "Twice as many would like to enroll."

With only about two dozen priests serving in the whole city, ministering to Catholics of so many different nationalities can be a challenge. Masson speaks French, English and Latin and, out of necessity, has picked up some Spanish, German and Russian since he came to St. Louis nine years ago.

Karpova estimated that, out of 60,000 Catholics in the city, perhaps one-third are from other countries. "The Catholic Church claims to be 'universal,'" she said, "and I think you can really see that in Moscow."

The Rev. Michael Ryan ministers to another Catholic parish that managed to operate under the Soviets. He's the only priest at Our Lady of Hope, a community of about 500 that has no church building. They existed for years under the diplomatic protection of the American embassy and shifted locations frequently.

Today, like St. Louis, they have an exceptionally diverse community. Ryan, who describes himself as London-Irish, speaks French, English and Filipino and can communicate with most of his faithful. While his church has many diplomats, students and refugees in its congregation, a large number of his parishioners are Russian citizens who are descendants of students from developing countries that Communist leaders encouraged to study in Russia in the 1960s.

He estimated that his congregation consists of about 40 percent Africans and 30 percent Americans, but also included Iraqis, Lebanese, Filipinos, Irish, Panamanians, Canadians, Armenians, Vietnamese, and "Just about everybody you can think of." Beyond the obvious reasons for the diversity, Ryan has observed something more profound. In a city as large and racially uniform as Moscow, he explained, many immigrants feel isolated - except when they come to church. "I think there's maybe an ethnic sense of community here for many of them that, yes, doesn't otherwise exist in Russia," he said.

Another reason for the closeness of these international communities may be a common bond as religious outsiders. "Most Russians would say they feel Orthodox," said Karpova, "even if they're not religious. And I think there's an overwhelming feeling that the Catholic Church is the enemy in some sense. We've had a thousand years of pretty much religious war."

Since the Great Schism in 1054, Orthodox Christianity has dominated Russia. Today, Catholics number only about a half million in the country, but some Orthodox have expressed resentment in recent years over what they call "Catholic proselytizing." Many see the growth of the Catholicism here as an unwanted advance.

"We don't need the competition," said Dmitry Golubev, who is training to become an Orthodox cleric at the Moscow Theological Seminary. "Russia has its religion and we have problems of our own. I guess we don't see the need for religions that are seeking converts."

Ryan said his congregation occasionally feels unwelcome. "I think a lot of Russians see no reason for our being here," he said. "We've encountered some animosity in our parish. Not always; many Russians are very respectful of us. But I think the government here, at the administrative level at least, is not receptive of Catholics generally. There's a gut feeling about how we got here and what we're doing here that raises suspicion and resentment."

Our Lady of Hope had been meeting in the basement of a school until they were recently told to leave. Ryan opted not to name his evictors and seemed unperturbed. "We're a small, insignificant minority here," he said, "and Moscow is a city of 12 million that is fast becoming an international, 21st century city with all that involves. That's not an easy transition."

top

A project of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism made possible by the Scripps Howard Foundation. Comments? E-mail us.

Copyright © 2003 The Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.