Religious Freedoms in Russia: The Orthodox Church
A
Look at Religious Freedoms in Russia: The Orthodox Church
Larry
James
Moscow
23
Dec 2000
[the date is 2000, but sadly the facts in 2006...are still the same]
No religious practice is more a part of Russian life than the rich traditions of the Orthodox Church. Here at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Moscow the sense of ancient Russia is especially strong.
Father Sergei Suzdaltsev says membership in his church has grown steadily in the past decade unlike in the days of the old Soviet Union. "Before the Communist revolution in 1917," he says, "there were thousands of Orthodox churches and dozens of monasteries in Russia. But by 1988, there were only 47 churches and no monasteries left. Can you imagine how many churches were closed, destroyed and robbed in these barbaric acts? The Communists thought they would be ruling forever, but their satanic ideology collapsed. They wanted to fight with God. That is why they were destroying everything sacred," said Father Suzdaltsev.
After the collapse of Communism, the church quickly regained members and political influence. Today, more than 70 percent of Russia's 146 million people consider themselves adherents of the Orthodox faith. In the years since the collapse, more than 8,000 new Russian Orthodox churches have been built. The government has returned numerous religious facilities that had been confiscated by the Communists and, in some cases, has even helped repair and rebuild damaged structures.
Public-opinion polls show that the Russian public trusts the church more than any other social or political institution, so it is not surprising that the political leadership regularly seeks the church's approval for a wide range of government policies.
Father Suzdaltsev says Boris Yeltsin had a lot to do with improving the government's relations with the Orthodox, but he credits Vladimir Putin with creating an even better atmosphere. "Putin is more courageous than Yeltsin," he says. "Yeltsin is a person with the old Communist way of thinking. With Putin it is even easier. Before becoming president he came to the Kremlin Uspensky Cathedral with his wife and the Patriarch blessed them. He prayed in the Christ the Savior Cathedral for the sailors who died on the Kursk submarine. Then he visited my church here. In France he visited the cemetery where over 10,000 Russians are buried. Princes and other great people are buried there. The Communists considered them awful people, but Putin went to this cemetery without fear," said Father Suzdaltsev.
Not everyone sees Mr. Putin in such a favorable light. Lawrence Uzzell is director of the Keston Institute, a private organization based in Oxford, England, that monitors religious freedoms in Russia and the other countries of the former Soviet Union.
Mr. Uzzell says while it may be true that Russian Orthodoxy has fared well under Mr. Putin, the same cannot be said for other religious groups. In fact, he says, there is a disturbing trend developing in Russia. "Things have been getting worse since the advent of President Putin," he says, "most notoriously one of his first official acts was to sign a new national security doctrine calling foreign religious organizations a threat to Russia's security. That is extremely worrisome," according to Mr. Uzzell.
Mr. Uzzell acknowledges that his concerns about the state of religious freedom in Russia are not focussed on the Orthodox Church, which he says is faring well, but he and others are concerned about some obstacles that confront other faiths.
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(XOFC Staff)
Core Universal Rights
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief