Russian Orthodoxy and Russian Nationalism in Post-Soviet Russia: The Moscow Patriarchate's Greatest Challenge?

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Zoe Knox, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for the Study of Cultures, Rice University, argued that leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, including Patriarch Alexei II, are reluctant to discipline or discredit radical nationalist elements within the Church. This is a cause for concern, she contended, because nationalism and intolerance are in danger of pushing more liberal and tolerant voices out of the Church. She argued that an Orthodox Church hostile to religious pluralism and civil society could threaten the foundations of religious freedom in Russia.

Knox noted that numerous surveys have shown that Alexei II is one of the most respected individuals in Russia, and the Orthodox Church is one of the country's most trusted institutions. She added that many Russian nationalists believe that Orthodoxy plays a special role in Russia and that Orthodox symbols and ideology play a large role in nationalist arguements. Therefore, she concluded, it is important to understand how Patriarch Alexei II and other Orthodox leaders respond to manifestations of Orthodox nationalism, in order to gauge the relationship between these two important political forces.

Knox examined the response of Alexei II to three different manifestations of Orthodox nationalism. In 1991, Alexei II delivered a speech to rabbis in New York City, in which he discussed the spiritual foundations for Christian-Jewish cooperation and vowed to fight growing anti-Semitism in Russia. The speech, according to Knox, provoked an outcry among conservatives, particularly from the monastic community and from the Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods. The Patriarchate ignored the attacks on Alexei II and his speech. Similarly, Alexei II chose not to censure Metropolitan Ioann of St. Petersburg and Lagoda, who espoused anti-Semitic and nationalist views. Although the Patriarch unofficially requested Ioann's articles not be published in Church publications, Knox stated, he never firmly distanced the Church from Ioann's views. In contrast, Knox argued, Alexei II has censured Father Georgii Kochetkov, the leading supporter of liberal reform within the Orthodox Church. Kochetkov was eventually labeled a schismatic and banned from ministry, and attacks on his church and school were never condemned.

When he was elected as Patriarch, Alexei II appeared to be a fairly liberal voice and a supporter of tolerance and ecumenism, according to Knox. His concessions to the Church's nationalist right wing, she argued, are in response to the strength of conservative forces within the Church and the strength of nationalism in society as a whole. She added that Alexei II fears that alienating the nationalists could cause a split in the Orthodox Church. However, in attempting to appease nationalist forces, Knox argued, Alexei II has weakened the Patriarchate and put it at the mercy of factional struggles; this has allowed extremist and anti-democratic forces to claim support from the Church, contributing to an atmosphere of extremism and exclusion in post-Soviet Russia.

An article based on this talk will be published in the December 2005 issue of Nationalities Papers.