Russia's Catholic Church has condemned a Supreme Court decision to outlaw the Jehovah's Witnesses and warned the move will increase fears of new restrictions on Catholic rights.
"Churches like ours don't recognise the Jehovah's Witnesses as Christian and don't engage in dialogue with them, but we must distinguish theological issues from legal rights," said Mgr Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of the Moscow-based Russian bishops' conference.
"The situation in Russia is complex and difficult now. There are very strong misgivings among Catholics that we, too, may be facing – if not persecution, then at least new acts of discrimination and limits on our freedom of belief," he said.
