COUNCIL FOR THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN 1945-1953 (BASED ON THE SA-RATOV VOLGA REGION MATERIALS)

Abstract

Purpose. The article is devoted to the analysis of the relationship between the state, represented by the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, as a conductor of state -church policy, and the Russian Orthodox Church in 1945 - 1953. Subject of the study: relations of the Authorized Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in the Saratov Volga region. The task of the work is to show how the activities of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church and its commissioner influenced the inner life of the Saratov diocese.
 Method and methodology. On the basis of general scientific, special historical and some methods borrowed from other sciences (for example, statistics) a set of documents from central and regional archives of the Russian Federation covering the problem presented in the title of the article is analyzed.
 Results. The period from 1945 to 1953 in the relations of the ROC and the Soviet leadership was ambiguous and complex. On the one hand, there was a warming that began during the war years and some stabilization of these relations, on the other hand, the authorities had a desire to restrain the church revival. Moreover, since the beginning of 1948, the tightening of anti-religious policy began, which is a vivid example of the events that unfolded after the publication of the feuilleton "Saratov Font" in the newspaper Pravda. The active conductor of state –church policy was the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, which controlled the activities of the Church through a staff of commissioners. The article is based on many archival documents that clearly illustrate the difficult relationship between the state and the Church of that time and the attempts of the Church in the current situation to do everything possible for preserving its activities and for spiritual and moral support of believers.
 The scope of applicability of results. The results of the study can contribute to a deeper understanding and assimilation of the religious policy of the Soviet state in the post-war period.