Вестник Свято-Филаретовского института (Oct 2022)
Orthodox priest in the Soviet Belarusian society (1944–1964)
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of the situation of Orthodox parish priests in Belarus in the post-war 20th century. On the basis of various archival materials, the author characterizes the change of legal, economic and social status of Orthodox parish priests. The demarcation of the Soviet-Polish frontier, which lasted till the early 50s of the 20th century, led not only to the reduction of the number of the Orthodox parishes in Belarus, but also to the appearance of priests, who were left without parishes. The Orthodox priests were not provided with comfortable conditions for adaptation in the post-war realities of Soviet Belarus. The priests had to get a compulsory registration, without which they were not allowed to perform their services. The policy of the Soviet authorities in the BSSR during 1944–1954 in relation to the Orthodox Church completely refutes the thesis about a “golden decade” in the existence of the Church. Immediately after the liberation of Belarus, the authorities began arresting priests, who were accused of collaborating with the Nazi administration. The collectivization of agriculture in Western Belarus and high taxation greatly aggravated the financial situation of the priests. The parish reform of 1961 put priests in difficult conditions for survival and led to the outbreak of a deep crisis of the Church.
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