BOB ABERNETHY: As we reported earlier in the program, religious leaders, the U.S. government, and human rights advocates are all condemning new legislation in Russia, designed to protect the Russian Orthodox Church against competition from foreign missionaries. We want to explore the controversy with Father Victor Potapov of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad; Patrick Gray, an Episcopal priest and religious freedom advocate; and John Finerty, a congressional aide who monitors human rights in Russia.

Father Victor, your branch of Russian Orthodoxy broke with the Orthodox Church in Russia in the '20s over communism. But you still understand what's going on there and what motivates people. Here is a thousand-year-old church, state church; why does it need protection against a few foreign missionaries?

Father VICTOR POTAPOV (St. John Baptist Cathedral): Well, I don't think it needs protection, but the hierarchs of the Church in Russia do think that they need protection. I'm against this law because I feel that it's a government meddling into the eternal affairs of the Church or churches -- stifles real spirituality. But we have to understand the sensitivities of the hierarchs of the Russian Church. They feel very vulnerable because the Orthodox Church in Russia has borne the brunt of the terrible persecution under the communists, and they need time, space to sort of get up from their knees to begin doing what they're [told] by God to do.

ABERNETHY: If the bill does -- if the law is enforced as it is written, who would be affected? What American religious groups would be affected?

Reverend PATRICK GRAY (Religious Freedom Advocate): Well, it would be a wide range of religious bodies that would be affected. Seventh-Day Adventists, Mormons, but also mainline denominations like the Episcopal Church.

Father PATAPOV: And the Orthodox Church.

Rev. GRAY: And the Orthodox Church, who were not there 15 years ago at the end of Brezhnev's rule.

ABERNETHY: Yes. As the law says, if you weren't there ...

Rev. GRAY: As the law calls.

ABERNETHY: Yes. What's the mood up at Congress, if you can judge it? The Senate has a provision in if this thing passed, it will cut off $2 million in aid.

JOHN FINERTY (Congressional Aide): Absolutely.

ABERNETHY: Is that still alive?

Mr. FINERTY: Absolutely. That amendment to the foreign operations bill, the Senate version, is still alive. The entire bill has not been worked out between the House of Representatives and the Senate, and I can't exactly predict how the House will come down on this, but I should say the entire issue of religious persecution and religious practice abroad is very important to the House of Representatives. Now, you see a number of bills on that subject; I think this will have a very important aspect to the consideration.

Father POTAPOV: May I say on the Russian side, it's going to be challenged in the Constitutional Court by the dissidents and by the various religious denominations.

ABERNETHY: Father Victor, in Russia, does the Russian Church understand the degree to which lots of Americans believe [they are] called by Jesus in the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel? Do they understand how strongly people here feel about that?

Father POTAPOV: The Russian Orthodox Church in Russia considers Russia to be its canonical territory and that this -- Russia is a Christian country. Therefore, there is no need for missionaries to come into a Christian country to proselytize among Christians. That's their feeling.