Salvation Army and Moscow at war

The Salvation Army provides meals to the elderly and homeless as part of its work in Russia

By CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A case of mistaken identity could find The Salvation Army, a Christian organization, expelled from Moscow for the second time in a century.

Although the worldwide group thinks of itself as a church, providing religious and social outreach here since it returned in 1992, the Moscow Justice Ministry considers it a subversive military organization.

If it can't change officials' minds by December 31 -- the deadline for registering religious organizations under a 1997 law -- the Army's Moscow efforts could be shut down, as they were in 1923 under Soviet rule.

"They call themselves an army, they call themselves captains, cadets, majors, colonels -- sounds like a military unit to me," says Vladimir Zhdankov of the Moscow Justice Ministry.

VIDEO The Salvation Army is hitting roadblocks in its quest for official recognition in Moscow, CNN's Jill Dougherty reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

The Salvation Army has provided meals to the elderly and homeless and helped prisoners and the homebound for nearly nine years in Russia. It has 21 "corps," four "outposts" and several "social ministries" in 14 Russian cities -- five of which have granted the Army full registration under the new law.

In Moscow, though, the Justice Ministry denied the Army's application to register in August 1999, and the Army has been fighting the possible shutdown in court for months -- spending $20,000 in legal fees so far.

The Army lost an appeal to a Moscow city court in late November and has made an application directly to the Russian government to register the Army nationally, which could bypass the problem in Moscow.

"If this fantasy that somehow we're a military organization bent on the overthrow of Russia -- if that were true -- wouldn't it have shown up after eight years of ministry here?" says Salvation Army Col. Kenneth Baillie.

"Other religious groups have been granted registration, some without anything like the worldwide reputation we have for service to God and people. We cannot understand it."

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