The Russian Federation

For those who grew up outside the Iron Curtain in the 1950’s and 60’s it seemed like the Soviet Union would be the perpetual enemy. The rapid collapse of Communism took many by surprise and there is no doubt that this was in part made possible through the influence of Pope John Paul II. Of course, the Soviet Union as an entity no longer exists, and what we now have is “The Russian Federation” or simply “Russian Federation,” as both are considered correct and essentially mean the same thing; “Russia” is also widely accepted as a shorthand way to refer to the country.

Russia is such an immense country that it is hard to capture it in words: almost twice the size of the U.S., it has about 11% of the total land area in the world, encompasses 9 time zones, has 25% of the world’s fresh water, and the list goes on and on.

And yet, many of us still do not know its history or current conditions.  Winston Churchill once stated that Russia was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma“. It may still seem that way today.

Tourist routes in Russia include travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the rivers including the Volga, and long journeys on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The country is divided in to Oblasts (regions), comprising 46 of the 85 federal subjects. With this much geography and diversity it is a country of infinite possibilities for travelers.

Catholic travelers will find that most of the Christian churches in the country are Russian Orthodox, not in communion with Rome. There are some Catholic churches and we are hopeful that restrictions placed upon building new churches will eventually be removed. We have listed the prominent Roman Catholic churches on the respective pages on this site.

The Catholic Church in the Russian Federation (in communion with Rome) is a small religious community, primarily consisting of the Latin Rite Church and a smaller Eastern Catholic (Byzantine Rite) presence.  Catholics in the Russian Federation represent less than 1% of the population and are mostly grouped into small or very small communities, which sometimes see the presence of a priest only very rarely during the year.

Sadly, with the war in Ukraine, there are few travel opportunities for westerners to visit the country; however, this is bound to change eventually….we just cannot predict when.

There several Catholic dioceses in the Russian Federation:

The Catholic Church in Russia operates under the Episcopal Conference of Russia. There are approximately 300-400 Catholic parishes and missions across Russia, concentrated in areas with historical Catholic populations (for example; Siberia, due to deportations of Poles, Germans, and Lithuanians during Soviet times).

The ecclesiastical province of the Catholic Church in Russia is made up of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow and its three suffragan dioceses: the Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov, that of St. Joseph in Irkutsk, and that of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk.

Th Diocese of Saint Clement at Saratov covers parts of European Russia south of Moscow.

The Diocese of Saint Joseph at Irkutsk covers Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East.

Diocese of the Transfiguration at Novosibirsk covers Western Siberia

Russia offers several locations of particular interest to Catholics and of course it is also a place that many people from western countries wish to visit to see just what life is like in a country long thought of as their enemy. Unfortunately, individual liberties are being curtailed and political opposition being silenced, so we are not sure just what the future might hold, but we remain optimistic.

Residents of most countries need to know that unlike most European countries, visas are required to enter Russia. The process is not difficult, but needs to be done in advance of your arrival.

The two most popular cities are Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Up until recently, a Volga River Cruise between these two cities was a great way to see more of the country and really get to know the Russian people.  Most of these cruises at this time cater to Russians…but we expect that eventually will change, since Volga River cruises were popular for Westerners before the war in Ukraine.

So much of Russian travel seems to center around the war in Ukraine.  Prior to that war, according to the official Russian tourism website, numbers of visitors to Russia averaged around 24 million per year in 2017-2019.

And, we personally would not feel 100% safe visiting Russia at this time (2025) due to the war in Ukraine, but look forward to doing so in the future.

Catholic places of interest in the Russian Federation:

Magadan: In Russia, but part of the Diocese of Anchorage, Alaska

Moscow: Capitol city, home of the Kremlin

Novosibirsk:  the heart of Roman Catholicism in Siberia

Saint Petersburg:  considered by many to be Russia’s cultural capital and most European city

Tolyatti:  Catholic churches in Russia’s “Motor City”

Vladivostok:  major Pacific port city in Russia, terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

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