The Church has been given official recognition in Russia as a centralized religious organization by the Ministry of Justice.
A certificate of registration, signed in Moscow May 14, allows the National Religious Association of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to continue its humanitarian and missionary efforts in the country and to provide meeting places for its members."We're very grateful and feel the Lord has answered our prayers in this important matter," said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve who oversees the Church's efforts in Russia.
Several other religious organizations, including the Catholic Church, were granted recognition as well.
The May 14 approval clarifies the Church's position under the law signed by President Boris Yeltsin last year. That law required all religious organizations to re-register, and questions were raised as to the impact on churches already operating in Russia. LDS Church officials said at the time they were optimistic about the long-term future of the Church in that nation.
"We are grateful to the Ministry of Justice and to other Russian officials for their prompt response to our filings for re-registration," said Elder Holland.
"We have assured the government that the Latter-day Saints in Russia are bound by our Articles of Faith to be good citizens who will contribute to a stronger, more vibrant nation," Elder Holland said.
He explained what the certificate of registration "brings is clarification of our standing and lifts a cloud of confusion and doubt that had been created by the earlier Russian legislation.
"We had been given reassurances by the Russian government that all would be well," said Elder Holland, "but we're very happy that has been formalized with their recognition of our registration. We're grateful for all who prayed for us and helped us in this matter, including Sens. Orrin G. Hatch, Robert F. Bennett, Gordon H. Smith and Harry M. Reid - all Latter-day Saints - but who were working for religious freedom for all religions in Russia."
Elder Holland continued, "We're very happy for our members and missionaries there. He said the Church has had members in Russia for more than a century, and noted the Church was officially recognized by the former Soviet Union in 1991.
"We intend to keep the lines of communication open and work in harmony with the government there, just as we do in other countries," Elder Holland added.