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==Religious views==

==Religious views==

* Although baptized in the Russian Orthodox church as a child, Gorbachev publicly professed atheism during his political career. Nonetheless, as Soviet president, he campaigned for the establishment of freedom of religion laws in the Soviet Union, viewing the exercise of religious expression as a valuable source of societal cohesion. Finally, in March 2008, while visiting the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, he told the Italian press that he had become a Christian, moved particularly by the life of St. Francis. [http://www.encyclopediaproject.net/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev#Early_life_and_political_career]

Gorbachev, as Soviet president, campaigned for the establishment of [[freedom of religion]] laws in the Soviet Union, viewing the exercise of religious expression as a valuable source of societal cohesion. Yet he remained a lifelong atheist. [http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080324/31660_Gorbachev_Dispels_'Closet_Christian'_Rumors%3B_Says_He_is_Atheist.htm]

 

==References==

==References==