1.   Gore criticized the religion bill passed by the lower house of Parliament on Friday, saying that it discriminated against minority religious groups.

2.   In lobbying for the religion bill, the church claimed its flock was under attack from Protestant missionaries and cultists out to rob Russians of their national religious heritage.

3.   Zyuganov was a leading supporter of the religion bill signed by Yeltsin.

4.   A religion bill passed by the Russian parliament will hurt the Roman Catholic church and make dialogue with the Orthodox more difficult, a top Vatican cardinal said Thursday.

5.   However, later in the day, Alexy reiterated his defense of the religion bill, and accused the West of unfairly criticizing Russia.

6.   Ironically, the religion bill allies the church with its former atheist enemies, the communists.

7.   Many Russians, fearful of the influx of foreign religions and cults that flooded into their country after the collapse of the Soviet Union, welcome the religion bill.

8.   Russian Orthodox leader defends religion bill.

9.   The Russian Orthodox Church, meanwhile, was urging Yeltsin to back the religion bill.

10.   The U.S. Senate has joined the Vatican in harshly criticizing the religion bill.