Russian Orthodox Church during Great Patriotic War: Foreign Policy Aspects and Interaction with Soviet Authority

This study analyzes the primary directions of the Russian Orthodox Church’s (ROC) activities during the Great Patriotic War. The research is grounded in a comprehensive examination of texts including speeches and telegrams from senior Orthodox hierarchs directed to the leaders of foreign Orthodox communities, Soviet laypeople, and state structures of the USSR. A total of 25 sources were analyzed, comprising 5 primary documents and 20 scholarly works. The findings reveal that Germany’s confessional policy aimed to exploit believers for the interests of the Third Reich, specifically to create a conflict between the Soviet authorities and the Orthodox community. It is noted that the awareness of this reality, along with the repression of priests who sought independence in their relations with the occupying regime, as well as the effective propaganda strategies employed by the Moscow Patriarchate, significantly influenced the patriotic engagement of clergy and laity in territories occupied by Nazi forces. The constructive nature of the interactions between Soviet leadership and ROC hierarchs is highlighted, which facilitated the successful operation of the Moscow Patriarchate on the international stage. This study demonstrates that the foreign policy aspect of the ROC’s activities from 1943 to 1945 contributed to strengthening its global standing and restoring close ties with foreign autocephalous Orthodox churches.

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