Gorbachev Sees Vital Role for Religion

Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev moved among the high and mighty during his whirlwind fund-raising tour of the United States, but amid the hoopla he carved out time Wednesday to reflect here with an interfaith group of religious leaders.

Flush with the cheers he received earlier in the day during an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange, Gorbachev chatted for 75 minutes with 13 eminent scholars and religious leaders, talking about the important role religion can play in establishing the moral underpinnings of society.

The meeting was requested by Gorbachev himself, according to organizers of the session. Speaking to reporters after the closed-door meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Rev. James Parks Morton, dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and other participants said Gorbachev acknowledged that he does not subscribe to any religious doctrine but nonetheless considers himself an “ethical” person who recognizes the importance of faith.

Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington said Gorbachev extolled religion as “an essential voice in shaping the moral consciousness.”

The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir of Georgetown University, a longtime counselor to the U.S. Catholic Conference, said he found it significant that Gorbachev asked for the meeting with religious leaders, despite tremendous pressures on his schedule.

The Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, described Gorbachev as “a very careful, soft-spoken man” who nonetheless laid out a challenge for the churches to avoid letting “years of differences” interfere with efforts to improve social conditions. She recalled Gorbachev saying, “Politics must be moral. A lot of this depends on the churches.”

In a direct challenge to the religious leaders, Gorbachev was said to have mentioned the recent riots in Los Angeles as a sign that it is “not only that the U.S.S.R.” that needs to change but the United States as well. Gorbachev had been asked to comment on the riots by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, leader of the Rainbow Coalition and former presidential candidate.

Among others who met with Gorbachev were Bishop Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion, and President Bernard Glassman of the Zen Community of New York.

Gorbachev toured the country in an effort to raise funds to set up his own philanthropic foundation and library. According to press accounts, he hoped to raise $3 million during the two-week visit, which was scheduled to end Friday.