Representations of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Organizations (2002-2021): from religion to politics

Abstract

The aim of the article is to reveal the importance of the instruments of the Russian Orthodox Church in the European space: the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the European institutions and the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Council of Europe. The methodological basis of the study is a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach that uses systemic, civilizational, historical-chronological and structural-functional methods. Everything leads to the conclusion that the activities of the missions are designed to contribute to the achievement of the foreign policy objectives, both religious and spiritual and State of the Russian Federation. By interacting with foreign media and civil society institutions, the offices of the Russian Orthodox Church promote a positive image of Russian Orthodoxy and the idea of a “Russian world”, creating a more favorable image of these ideas in the world for Russia’s foreign policy. In this way, we see that the Orthodox Church has intensified its external activities in the twenty-first century. At the same time, it is often not only religious but also political, attesting to the greater rapprochement of the “New Russia” with the Russian Orthodox Church, which continues to perform secular tasks on the foreign policy front.