Ecumenical activity of the Russian Orthodox Church

the total ideological and administrative control of the church by state bodies within the USSR did not interfere, but rather contributed to the intensification of the activities of the ROC abroad and the expansion of its external relations with international public and religious organizations. The ROC was a full member of various interethnic non-governmental associations and an active organizer of international conferences on humanitarian problems of mankind. Since 1961 The ROC was a permanent member of the largest international Christian organization – the World Council of Churches, an active participant and initiator of the world congresses of religious figures and all-Christian congresses (Christian Peace Conference, Conference of European Churches, etc.). The author concludes that the international relations of the ROC during the years of perestroika continued to be an important part of state-church interaction, and the ecumenical movement of the ROC was used by the party leadership as a tool of soft power designed to form an attractive image of the Soviet Union as a country that respects the rights of believers.

Русская православная церковь, экуменизм, международные связи, государственного-церковное взаимодействие