Catholic Bishop Clemens Pickel of Saratov received a
permission of permanence from the Russian authorities, according to the German
prelates' aid organization Renovabis.
The 41-year-old bishop of German origin heads the diocese in southern European
Russia, which has about 40,000 Catholics.
In statements to Vatican Radio, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, described the Russians'
decision as a "positive sign."
Last year, Bishop Jerzy Mazur of St. Joseph of Irkutsk, in eastern Siberia, was
expelled from the Russian territory, as were seven priests.