For one thousand years, Russia has been an Orthodox country, a bulwark against the expansion of Catholicism and other religions. “Russian Orthodox lands” are considered canonical territories where competition by other Christian religions has never been acceptable in the eyes of Moscow Patriarchy.
Since the beginning of the century, religious matters have emerged as a critical issue in national and international political agendas. However, starting in the 1980-1990s, a question started preoccupying certain European States: the emergence of new religious and spiritual groups coming from abroad, from Northern America or the East, or the spontaneous appearance of new spiritual movements, besides traditional Churches and worldviews well integrated in society.
FECRIS claims in its by-laws that its activities do not enter « the religious field » and declares to be neutral in this matter. Why is it then that the Vice-President of FECRIS, an organization registered in secular France and massively financed by the French State, is Alexander Dvorkin, a Russian citizen blessed, financed and missioned by the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch to combat religious minorities perceived as competitors?
This Task Force has proceeded to biased investigations upon the denouncements received by MIVILUDES, where the members of minorities were systematically presumed guilty. CAP received a number of testimonies over the years which evidence their prejudice, such people suspected of shamanist ic practices whose homes were raided and were put in custody, groups o f persons denounced to MIVILUDES as “dangerous sects” who were interrogated and put under pressure to denounce their “guru”, others denounced as being “gurus” who were put in preventive detention for up to 18 months, etc. Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP) CAP Liberté de Conscience
Moreover, FECRIS says in its bylaws that « the action of the Federation is neither religious nor political ». If the action of FECRIS is not religious and claims to be neutral in this regard, how can it explain that an organization registered in a secular state – France – is massively financed with the money of all French tax-payers, while its vice-president, Alexander Dvorkin, a Russian citizen is blessed and financed by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church for its anti-sect activities. This same Russian Orthodox Church which, along with Putin, has been persecuting religious minorities for years in Russia.
