After over two weeks, the Holy See has still received no explanation about the reasons which prompted the Russian authorities to refuse Bishop Jerzy Mazur permission to re-enter the country on 19 April. A briefing to journalists on the case involving the bishop of the Catholic diocese of St. Joseph at Irkutsk, in eastern Siberia, was recently given by the director of the Vatican’s press room, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who reconstructed the events leading up to the expulsion and commented: “The Holy See immediately intervened to ask for explanations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the reasons that induced the frontier authorities to refuse the bishop’s entry”. “With some surprise”, added Navarro, “it has to be noted that after over two weeks the requested information has still not been forthcoming”. The case of Bishop Mazur has reopened the debate on the “diplomatic” relations between Russia and the Holy See, also following the recent “elevation” to diocesan status of the four apostolic administrations present in the territory of the Russian Federation.
