Could Gorbachev be a Christian?

Originally posted: March 25, 2008


European media were all in a tizzy last week about the supposedly sudden spiritual awakening of Mikhail Gorbachev. The former Soviet leader’s silence at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy apparently spoke volumes to reporters who spent the week guessing whether Gorbachev had returned to the Russian Orthodox church in which he was baptized.

They cited Ronald Reagan’s speculation and a visit with Pope John Paul II as proof that Gorbachev could have been concealing a hidden connection to God all along. But the Tribune’s Moscow correspondent, Alex Rodriguez, tells us that Gorbachev still denies having any faith.

CIn his Out There column this week, Rodriguez summed up the reaction in Russia, including that of Gorbachev.

"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 told the Russian news agency Interfax. "To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I have been and remain an atheist."

Though Gorbachev acknowledged the vital role that religion plays in people’s lives, he insisted it still plays no role in his own and wondered out loud why his many tours of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches, mosques and synagogues never prompted similar speculation that he was Protestant, Muslim or Jewish.

Gorbachev’s response comes as no surprise to Eugene Clay, an associate professor of religious studies who specializes in Eastern Rite Christianity. Of all the Soviet leaders, Gorbachev most recognized and respected the role of religion, Clay told me.

"The church is an important institution culturally and politically, and politicians have recognized that," he said. "In fact the church is more widely trusted than many of the political institutions. The personal faith of these politicians is less clear."

Though conversions are possible, the likelihood that Gorbachev harbors any relationship with Jesus Christ is slim to none, Clay said.

"A lot of the older people were raised as atheists and taught religion was something that was going to disappear. ... At best, it was something obsolete. At worst, it was something sinister."

Scholars say the notion that Gorbachev is Roman Catholic is even more absurd. The Russian church has been unable to forgive or forget the differences over papal authority and creed that sparked the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western churches. Even eight centuries later, Russian Orthodox leaders accuse the Roman Catholic church of poaching believers by offering humanitarian aid and pews where parishioners can sit during worship.

Judging from his philanthropic work, Clay said, if Gorbachev has adopted any religion it is secular humanism.

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