Abstract
Over the past two decades, clerics in the Russian Orthodox Church have found a new outlet for morality policy discussions: news portals, blogs, and other sites that comprise a virtual public sphere of Russian Orthodox online media. One prominent issue discussed herein is abortion in Russia, a subject that has spawned debates about possible regulation and prevention measures. This article analyzes statements regarding abortion made by clerics and others serving in the Russian Orthodox Church via Russian Orthodox online portals. Using typologies for framing strategies established through research of morality policy and church-state relations in Russia, this analysis will show that rational-instrumental frames were employed more frequently than religiously based or procedural arguments, and frames expressing affinity and disillusionment with the state were utilized more often than those evoking church-state symphony or anti-government disestablishment. In addition, it will shed light on framing strategies between online portals with varying degrees of proximity to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Highlights
In the years following the fall of the Soviet Union, clerics and others serving in the Russian Orthodox Church have become active participants in debates over morality policy issues in the Russian public sphere
By focusing on clerics and others serving in the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox online media, the article seeks to contribute to research on the mediatization of Russian Orthodoxy within sociology of religion
When presenting arguments on abortion before the Russian public, clerics and others serving in the Russian Orthodox Church must grapple with two legacies of the Soviet system: the history of abortion as a preferred birth control method, and the fact that most self-declared Orthodox Christians are nominal and non-practicing
Summary
In the years following the fall of the Soviet Union, clerics and others serving in the Russian Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as the “ROC” and “Church”) have become active participants in debates over morality policy issues in the Russian public sphere. Articles sourced from Russian Orthodox portals from 2000 through 2020 are subjected to a framing analysis, employing typologies based on prior research in morality policy and church-state relations in Russia. By focusing on the case of Russian Orthodox clerics and Russian Orthodox online media, the article intends to expand morality policy research toward including the analyses of a non-state actor—the Russian Orthodox Church—that is not often studied from this angle. By focusing on clerics and others serving in the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox online media, the article seeks to contribute to research on the mediatization of Russian Orthodoxy within sociology of religion
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