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War weighs heavy on Russian nuns

Nuns at a Russian convent near Moscow say terrorism and the war against it are both wrong

By CNN's Colleen McEdwards

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- In an ancient Russian convent in Kolomna, just south of Moscow, 100 nuns dedicate their lives to God.

They believe that both terrorism and the war against it are examples of evil winning over good.

"The world today lives under the flag of revenge. That's so wrong," says the convent's mother superior, Ksenia Zaitseva. "Man can't solve conflicts with blood and murder. ... Christ points to another way."

This convent was closed by the communists, then allowed to reopen about 10 years ago. Now the nuns are patiently bringing it back to life.

They pray, and they study. Watching television isn't allowed. There are no newspapers here.

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They do have computers -- a modern indulgence for printing their music.

And the nuns hear from friends and talk to the mother superior about the terrorist attacks.

"I haven't seen what happened in New York, but I've been told about it," says Sister Ksenia. "You can't use violence to achieve God. That's not faith."

"I'm worried about the world," says Sister Fatinya. "There's so much evil lately, and more war. It's so heavy on the soul."

It's a weight that Russia's religious community knows too well. In the 1930s, Stalin made a point of destroying churches and closing monasteries.

Russia has a long history of war and terror, and that may help explain the survival and rebirth of monastic life here.

"There are many unhappy people in the world. But I've never met an unhappy monastic," says Sister Taisiya. "When I came here the first time, everything seemed so peaceful. ... It was a movement in my heart and I stayed."

The nuns provide for themselves. They raise animals, plant their own food, and watch the world from a safe distance -- from a place where September 11 was just another day.