VISA RESTRICTIONS STILL THREATEN FOREIGN CLERGY IN RUSSIA by Tatyana Titova and Lawrence A. Uzzell, Keston News Service Contrary to some reports being circulated over the Internet, Keston News Service has found that new limitations on visas for foreign religious workers in Russia have not necessarily been reversed in practice. Though the Foreign Ministry has formally endorsed a reversal in the limitations which Keston reported several months ago, that reversal has yet to be accepted by officials in other state agencies. According to FR ANTONI GEI, a Roman Catholic priest serving in Moscow, at least some of his fellow priests are still having problems - in particular if they state explicitly that they are in Russia for the purpose of serving as parish clergy rather than for some vague purpose such as �negotiations�. Even if such priests manage to obtain one-year, multiple-entry visas as theoretically authorised by the Foreign Ministry�s new rules, they may find that officials of OVIR (the office in charge of registering foreign residents in Russia) are willing to register those visas for only three months - effectively negating the mild policy favoured by the Foreign Ministry. For example, Fr Gei told Keston, FR VIKTOR VORONOVICH from Lithuania recently had to return to his home country in order to get a new Russian visa. Unlike Protestant clergy, the great majority of Roman Catholic priests now serving in Russia are foreign citizens. (Until the early 1990s the Russian Federation had no seminary to train native-born Russians for the Catholic priesthood.) If OVIR continues to resist the Foreign Ministry�s position, many of these priests will face the prospect of having to leave Russia four times a year simply to comply with state regulations. (END) THANKSGIVING SERVICE FOR THE LIFE OF JANE ELLIS Saturday 5 December at St Paul�s church, Robert Adam Street, (off Baker Street), London. Service at Noon. Refreshments until 3pm. The service is being organised by long time Keston supporter, Dick Rodgers. He writes: �The service will be at noon for about an hour followed by refreshments and more opportunity to meet others and to speak about Jane�s life and work, in the church lounge, until 3pm.�