"We are seeing once again a replay of the drama of the Catholic Church in Russia, which having endured cruel persecution in the 20th century and being almost everywhere destroyed, is undergoing new trials after a decade of difficult development," Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said, in an open appeal addressed to human-rights groups and "all people of good will."

Kondrusiewicz noted that five foreign-born Catholic priests have had their Russian visas revoked this year, the latest on Tuesday, when Father Edvard Mackiewicz was turned back at the Belarus-Poland border by Russian border guards, who augment Belarus' border guards.

He said that Catholics have also experienced bans on constructing new churches and vandalism and desecration of existing churches.

"Recently, a large-scale anti-Catholic campaign has been launched in this country," Kondrusiewicz said. As part of the campaign, he said, "a mythological image of a 'Catholic enemy'" is being created.

Tensions have risen around the Catholic Church following Pope John Paul's visits to former Soviet republics and the Vatican's decision to upgrade its so-called apostolic administrations in Russia to full dioceses.

The Russian Orthodox Church complains that Roman Catholics are poaching converts from among people who traditionally would have been Orthodox adherents.

The Catholic Church insists it is not seeking converts, but simply trying to provide pastoral services to Russia's estimated 600,000 Catholics, a tiny minority in a country of 144 million where two-thirds of the population consider themselves Orthodox.