Особенности организационной жизни Смоленской и Дорогобужской епархии при епископе Иннокентии (Сокале) (1959–1964 гг.)

Abstract

This article deals with the person of Bishop Innokentiy (Sokal) of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh and with the organizational specifics of life at the Diocese in 1959–1964, which was the period of an antireligious campaign characterized as a war against the religion and the believers. Bishop Innokentiy’s return migration played a substantial role in his service. The hierarch’s relations with the foreign church circles of Yugoslavia where he had served as a priest for 30 years forced the authorized agent of the Smolensk Oblast Board for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church at the USSR Council of Ministers to be courteous and make considerable concessions to the new head of the Diocese of Smolensk. At the time Bishop Innokentiy was appointed diocesan archbishop, the Diocese of Smolensk had 54 working churches and 59 registered clerks. The organizational life of the Diocese of that period was at the peak of its prosperity, which was accounted for the high administrative status of Bishop Innokentiy’s predecessor, Bishop Mikhail (Tchub), as well as the active position of the latter. Things started to get steadily worse in 1959, which was accounted for the growing pressure on the Russian Orthodox Church from the state and Bishop Innokentiy becoming less active. In 1964, which was the last year of Bishop Innokentiy being the head of the Diocese of Smo-lensk, the diocesan clergy consisted of 39 priests and 5 deacons and had 38 registered com-munities of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1959–1964, the number of clerks at the Diocese of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh decreased by 29%, and the number of churches got reduced by 30%.