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Mormon missionaries will be called ‘volunteers’ in Russia

SALT LAKE CITY – Mormon missionaries in Russia will now be known as “volunteers” to comply with a new anti-terrorism law that puts restrictions on religious practices.

Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said Tuesday that the change is the first step as leaders determine how to keep several hundred missionaries there while obeying a law Russian President Vladimir Putin signed earlier this month.

Hawkins says an email is being sent to parents and relatives of missionaries in Russia informing them of the change.

The rules, which take effect Wednesday, dictate that religious work can only be done in houses of worship and other related religious sites.

Missionaries worldwide for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often share their faith online or in a home to which they have been invited.

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