Abstract
Church-state relations in the USSR are governed at the highest level by a body whose precise powers have never been made public. This is the Council for Religious Affairs under the USSR Council of Ministers. The Council for Religious Affairs was formed in 1966 as an amalgamation of two previously-existing bodies, one of which dealt with the Russian Orthodox Church and the second with all other denominations. The Council has been referred to in a few official and even legal sources, but no~here is a proper explanation of its competence to be found. Similar bodies have been set up in other East European states and their duties laid down in writing. But in the Soviet Union even what is written down in the field of church-state relations contradicts both itself and local practice. In the April-May issue of the Austrian journal Neues Forum, an account is given of the visit of an Austrian Catholic student group to Russia, including an interview with a deputy president of the Council. Here is an extract from that account:
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
