And it’s none other than Mikhail Sergeyevich, who visited the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi with his daughter Irina:

“St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ,” said Mr. Gorbachev. “His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life,” he added.
Mr. Gorbachev’s surprise visit confirmed decades of rumours that, although he was forced to publicly pronounce himself an atheist, he was in fact a Christian, and casts a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1989 in a new light.
Mr. Gorbachev, 77, was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church and his parents were Christians.
In addition, the parents of his wife Raisa were deeply religious and were killed during the Second World War for having religious icons in their home.

Perhaps Mr. Gorbachev finally felt comfortable in admitting his faith, this far out of the Soviet Union’s history. No wonder he blew his constituents away twenty-plus years ago. Perhaps Гла́сность and Перестройка really means something to him, both back then and now. Even though I disagree with some of the stuff he’s said, I can cut this guy some slack.