The relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Jerusalem Patriarchate in 1948-1953 in the context of Soviet-Israeli relations.

Abstract

The subject of this article is the problem of the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Jerusalem Patriarchate in 1948-1953 in the context of Soviet-Israeli relations. The specified chronological framework was not chosen by chance, since it was during these years that significant events took place in the development of bilateral relations: the formation of the State of Israel, the establishment of diplomatic relations, the drafting of the statute on Jerusalem, and the severance of diplomatic relations. The ROC was involved in the Soviet Middle East policy, the purpose of which was to strengthen ties between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Eastern Patriarchates. The methodological basis of the research is the principle of historicism, which assumes taking into account the specific historical conditions and events in which the development of the process of interest to us took place. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that the previously unexplored process of the relationship between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Jerusalem Orthodox Church during this period has been studied. The source base of the research is unpublished documents of the Foundation of the Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the USSR of the State Archive of the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis of archival materials introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, it is concluded that, on the one hand, contacts between the ROC and the Jerusalem Patriarchate were maintained through the Soviet diplomatic mission in the State of Israel. Therefore, the state of bilateral relations influenced the relationship between the Churches. On the other hand, after the rupture of diplomatic relations in February 1953, the situation of the RDM in Jerusalem worsened, but contacts between the Moscow and Jerusalem Patriarchies were not interrupted. Representatives of the Jerusalem Church had the right to freely cross the border, as a result, they could visit the Mission despite the state of Soviet-Israeli relations.