Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church is a significant branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, distinguished by its governance under elected patriarchs and councils rather than acknowledging the authority of the Pope, as seen in Catholicism. Founded according to its traditions by the Apostle Andrew, the church's historical roots extend back to the early Christian community in Kiev, which became a stronghold of Byzantine Christianity under Prince Vladimir in the 9th century. The church experienced severe repression during the Soviet era, facing land seizures and persecution, but began to recover in the late 20th century following reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
As of 2024, the Russian Orthodox Church claims over 164 million members globally, with a substantial portion of its congregation in Russia, where around 71% identify as Orthodox. The church's theology aligns closely with other branches of Christianity, emphasizing the divinity of Christ and the significance of the Eucharist. However, it maintains distinct beliefs regarding the role of saints and the nature of ecclesiastical authority. In recent years, the church has been noted for its increasing entanglement with politics, particularly under President Vladimir Putin's administration, leading to critical scrutiny amid geopolitical tensions, such as the conflict with Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church's contemporary role raises questions about its autonomy and influence within Russian society.
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church is a large branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Both churches share many beliefs with other branches of Christianity, including the divinity of Christ and the importance of the study of scripture. However, unlike Catholics, members of the Russian Orthodox Church do not acknowledge the Pope's authority. Instead, they are led by elected patriarchs and councils.
The Russian Orthodox Church has had a troubled history with the Russian government (particularly during the period of the Soviet Union), which nearly wiped out the church several times. However, it has since recovered and, while estimates vary between sources, as of 2024, the World Council of Churches reported that the church had over 164 million members worldwide. According to the Pew Research Center in 2017, approximately 71 percent of Russians are Orthodox.
Background
According to its own history, the Russian Orthodox Church was founded by the Apostle Andrew. Members of the church believe Andrew traveled after his time with Jesus, the Messiah of Abrahamic tradition, until he encountered Greek colonies in the location of modern Kiev. Andrew then declared that a powerful Christian church would begin from that place and planted a cross in the ground to mark his claim. A church now exists on the location where Russian Orthodox Christians believe Andrew placed his cross.
For many years, Christian presence in Eastern Europe was scattered and disorganized. However, by the early ninth century, a small but organized Christian community had sprung up in Kiev, a large city in Eastern Europe. When Prince Vladimir of Kiev officially adopted Byzantine Christianity and was baptized into the church, Christianity became the official, state-sponsored religion of the region.
While Russia and its surrounding states suffered during the periods of Mongol aggression, the Eastern Orthodox Church thrived. It was given tax-exempt status by Russia and many of its surrounding states. The church used that status to amass large land holdings, becoming extremely wealthy. In 1325, the central control of this branch of the Byzantine Church was moved from Kiev to Russia. At this point, the Russian Orthodox Church was declared an independent branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church and was no longer subject to its governance.
When the Soviet Union was founded, early Soviet leaders declared a separation of church and state. As the Russian Orthodox Church had been the official state-sponsored church, most of its land was seized. The Soviet Union viewed itself as a secular government and firmly held the end goal of creating a secular nation. Though it never officially outlawed the Russian Orthodox Church, it seized and destroyed church buildings, actively persecuted Christians, and mandated that atheism be taught in schools. While the church was granted a brief, state-sponsored revival under Joseph Stalin to stir up patriotism during World War II, the state's persecution of Christians resumed shortly after.
When Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, he instituted a number of social reforms. Gorbachev refused to continue his predecessor's campaign against religion and formally restored many of the seized lands and structures to the Russian Orthodox Church. This allowed the church to begin rebuilding its presence in the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the church redoubled its efforts, opening new theological schools and restoring old parishes. Since then, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the largest branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Overview
The Eastern Orthodox Church, of which the Russian Orthodox Church is a major branch, is one of the three most practiced types of Christianity alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Unlike the other two major types of Christianity, the Eastern Orthodox Church is made up of a number of autonomous branches. Each branch is allowed to govern itself and given a large degree of independence in its teachings. The heads of the branches come together to debate key theological issues.
The Eastern Orthodox Church shares most of the key tenets of Christianity with Catholicism and Protestantism. Its members believe in the biblical God of the Abrahamic tradition and the truth of the Bible. They believe that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary and was both the son of God and the living embodiment of God on Earth. They believe that Christ sacrificed himself to the Romans and was crucified to pay for the sins of humanity. They also believe that he rose from the dead after three days, proving that the power of God is greater than the power of death, and proceeded to preach for forty days before ascending to Heaven. They also believe that by living a good life and striving to become closer to God through the power of faith, souls can be rewarded by spending eternity in Heaven after death.
Unlike Catholics, members of the Russian Orthodox Church do not accept the authority of the Pope. While Catholics believe the Pope is Christ's official representative and the Pope's word carries with it the weight of Christ, members of the Russian Orthodox Church believe the Pope is simply the bishop of Rome. They believe this is an important position, but not divine.
The members of the Russian Orthodox Church believe in the transubstantiation of the Eucharist. This means they believe the bread and wine literally becomes the body and blood of Christ during the rituals of a Christian mass. While Catholics share this belief, most Protestants believe the gesture is only symbolic.
Catholics believe that saints can intercede on their behalf throughout their lives and thus pray to saints as well as God. However, the Russian Orthodox Church teaches that saints lack the power to directly intervene in the lives of individuals. Instead, they petition God to intervene on an individual's behalf.
Protestants believe that each church is an individual unit responsible only to God, and thus churches should not be grouped into organizations. In this case, the Russian Orthodox Church is organized more like the Catholic Church. Priests oversee and perform mass at individual parishes and tend to their personal flock of parishioners. Bishops oversee a diocese, which is a collection of parishes in an area. An especially large diocese may have multiple bishops and a single archbishop to help run its administration.
A group of dioceses, and in many cases entire branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church, are ruled by a patriarch. The patriarch is a single elected individual meant to personally lead a large portion of the Eastern Orthodox Church and whose opinion is highly valued among their branch of the church. In some cases, a council or Synod is appointed above the patriarch, with ultimate authority over the church's stance on important issues. The Russian Orthodox Church is headed by a patriarch.
Politically, commentators have noted that the church's influence has additionally increased due to President Vladimir Putin's efforts to gain the support of such conservative institutions. In a move in the opposite direction from those taken against religion in the twentieth century, in 2013, the government passed a law designed to allow for punishing anyone who intentionally insults religious believers' feelings. At the same time, with tensions between Russia and Ukraine heightened following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, after a new, unified Orthodox church in Ukraine was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2018, the Russian Orthodox Church made the significant announcement that it would break ties with the influential Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the Russian invasions of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian Orthodox Church faced harsh criticism for its willingness to wade into politics and embrace the war. In 2024 the church when a step further, declaring the war a “Holy War.” Many have speculated that the church has lost its autonomy and become more of an extension of Russia’s autocracy.
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