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XAL4 of June 32.
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While in the free workd, Orthodoxy, on its own initiative, is
looking for common defense of religion and for re-unification with the
"older Rome", in the Soviet world an artificial Church was revived by the
governm nt and religious unification is State-controlled and imposed by
force.
The reyr¥al of the Orthodax Church was officially recognized by a
Soviet law established on January 51, 1945. The inner organization of the
Church, ruled in every detail, follows step by step the administration of
the State. The head of the Church is the Patriarch of Moscow and of all the
Russias. Together with the Holy Synode, a body of six members, he administers
all Church affairs. He is alone to prepresent Orthodoxy at the outside. This
means that he is the only one to speak in the name of the official Shurch
With other Shurches and to deal with the "Council of Orthodox Religious Affaims
an official body that works under the Council of Ministers of the Soviet
Union. ‘the “hurch is subdivided into dioceses, which territorially speaking
have to correspond exactly to the republics, territories or provinces of the
Soviet Union. the diocese is headed by a bishop. The latter is named by the
Moscow Patriarch and the Holy Synode; responsible to them for all diocesan
church affairs, each bishop has to send regular reports to the Moscow
Patriarchate. Dioceses are againg subdivided into deaconeries and parishes.
Official statistics evaluate their number at 22.000. ,he priests in charge
are named and supervised by the bishop. Lach priest has to report twice a
year and to inform his bishop of all trregularities that might occurin the
parish and in the administration of the Church funds. These are raised by
volunéary contributions of the faithful and are used exclusively for the
purpose of maintaining the one building needed for the religious ceremonies.
The Ghurch is allowed no other activities than the organization of the curt
and the preaching of sermons during religious ceremonies; educational,
cultural, recreational, social, charitable and other activities are forbidden
under heavy penalties.
“hese regulations show clearly what the Soviet State expects from
the action of igs Church. Limited to the purely spiritual aims and able to
develop only as far as the voluntary contributions of the faithful will allwuw
it, the parishes have as sole aim to satisfy the religious needs of the older
generation. It has been noted that churchgoers in Russia are as a general rule
above 40 years of age. Unté&l the age of 18 years, no child is allowed to be
taught any religion; except what his parents might tell him an the home. Only
the official philosophy of a materialistic and atheistic State is to be given
in school and komsomole A new generation is coming up that has no knowledge of
God and that - Soviet leaders hope - will be ready in due time to liquidate
the remmants of the past, meaning the Churche
The Mescow Church has thus a three-fold aim to fulfill, according
to the plans of its Soviet masters.
At first it has to secure to the Soviet state a body at igs devotion that has
enough religious and spiritual appeal to reconcile older people with the
edification of a socialist order. This stage is already fully reached: the
Orthodox Church is entirely controled by Soviet agents at every level of iss
— ES eS LS eee Pde lek e