Gorbachev admits he’s a Christian

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader who oversaw the collapse of the Soviet Union, has admitted for the first time that he is a Christian.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader who oversaw the collapse of the Soviet Union, has admitted for the first time that he is a Christian.

Gorbachev, who had earlier publicly pronounced himself as an atheist, acknowledged his Christian faith while paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi in Italy, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

“St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ. His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life. It was through St Francis that I arrived at the Church, so it was important that I came to visit his tomb.

Story continues below this ad

“I feel very emotional to be here at such an important place not only for the Catholic faith, but for all humanity,” the Communist leader was quoted as saying.

Gorbachev’s surprise visit to the Basilica where he prayed for almost half-an-hour and later asked the monks for theological books to help him understand St Francis’s life, confirmed decades of rumours that he was in fact a Christian.

According to the British newspaper, Gorbachev was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church and his parents were Christians.

Ronald Reagan, the former United States President, had allegedly told his close aides on a number of occasions that he felt his opponent during the Cold War was a “closet believer”.

EAM Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Rubio hold bilateral discussions in New York

India3 hr ago

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and US Senator Rubio met in New York to discuss the 25% tariff on Indian oil imposed by Trump. This was their first in-person meeting since the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. India and the US also began talks for a trade agreement, with positive discussions during a recent visit by US trade officials to India.

View all shorts

Live Blog