Red Easter

Moscow prepared this week for its gay est Easter since the Bolshevik revolution./- New bells and bells long silent will ring out from the gilt onion domes of the city's churches, whose fresh paint will be ornamented with red and white flowers, hyacinths, roses and lilacs. For paskha and koulich, the elaborate cakes which, with colored eggs, are taken to the churches to be blessed on Easter eve, white flour can be bought with ordinary ration coupons. (Nonbelievers also rushed for white flour to make festive cakes for Red May Day, highpoint of Communism's liturgical year.)

As an Easter gift to the Orthodox Church, the Soviet Government last fortnight announced that Russia's once-wealthiest convent, the 422-year-old Novodyevichi ("New Virgins"), which has been a Moscow museum since 1922, would be restored to the Church. It could again take in Russian girls as nuns. About 90 other convents and monasteries throughout Russia have been recently returned to the Church, making its recovery of confiscated properties exceed 50%.

The Russian Church counted further gains. Izvestia now prints the hierarchy's pastoral literature, which is obligingly directed not against sin but against non-Communist politics. Several priests were chosen in the recent election to sit in the two Chambers of the Supreme Soviet.

/- The Russian and Western Easters seldom coincide, can be five weeks apart. Reason: the Orthodox Church, unlike the Soviet Government, has not adopted the Gregorian calendar.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.