| Summary: | Background. The problems of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church during
the Great Patriotic War and changes in state-church relations today, when a new
model of relations between the state and the Church are being formed in Russia,
have acquired particular relevance. It is very important on the basis of studying the
situation and activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Soviet society in 1941–
1945 draw valid conclusions, learn lessons, formulate scientific and practical recommendations
that can be used to further develop domestic historical science and to
improve state-church relations. The purpose of the study is to identify the reaction
to changes in state-church relations on the ground, in various layers of Soviet society.
Materials and methods. The implementation of research tasks was achieved
through the use of documents extracted from the funds of the State Archive of the
Russian Federation. A special place is occupied by the reports of the ruling bishops,
the memoirs of contemporaries. The methodological potential includes: a comparative
historical method, the application of which allows you to compare the pre-war
policy of the Soviet state in relation to religious organizations, with the policy carried
out during the Great Patriotic War; a statistical method, the significance of
which is obvious for the analysis of data related to the opening of temples in the war
years.
Results. The attitude on the part of the Soviet-party bodies, the clergy and believers,
various strata of Soviet society towards a change in state-church relations is
investigated. The correlation of official politics and propaganda with the concrete
embodiment of state church policy is analyzed.
Conclusions. Analyzing the implementation of state policy in relation to the
clergy and believers, it is necessary to recognize that in some cases a gross violation
of the law and an insult to the religious feelings of believers and their intimidation
were allowed. In other cases, there was a readiness to meet all the requirements of
believers, clergy and religious groups and societies, and attracting church representatives
to participate in meetings of local authorities. The local leadership was
disoriented after 25 years of atheistic propaganda, they did not understand the reasons
for such a radical change of course in relation to religion and the church. Learning
about the facts of illegal actions against believers, the leadership of the Council
for the ROC demanded that local leaders punish the guilty. Struggling against unlawful
actions against believers by individual leaders, the officials of the Council for
the ROC Affairs ensured that local authorities did not hit the opposite extreme and
did not help believers in their needs.
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