Leninist Mentality Runs Deep in Russia 100 Years After Death

The Jan. 21 centenary of the death of Vladimir Ilich Lenin offers Catholics an opportunity to reflect on his historical legacy, and on how his role as founder of the Soviet Union still profoundly affects church communities. “Here in Russia, there won’t be any state commemorations, since President Vladimir Putin and others are divided over how to see Lenin — as the man who saved the Russian empire by giving it a new ideological direction, but who was also responsible for killing the Ttsar and other atrocities,” explained Jesuit Father Stephan Lipke, secretary-general of the Russian bishops’ conference.