The meeting's American organisers announced that the conference would instead take place in Washington, DC, next May; this reflected deep American unhappiness over a new Russian law, signed by President Vladimir Putin last month, which places severe curbs on the propagation of almost any religion. In practice, critics anticipate, it will be used to shore up the near-monopoly of the Russian Orthodox church and make life pretty intolerable for non-conformists and other minority faiths.
Announcing the change, Mr Graham said: "We were looking forward to this significant event being held in Russia because no one knows modern Christian persecution better than the church that suffered under communist rule. However, just a few weeks ago, Russia passed a law that severely limits Christians' freedoms."
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