The Church in 1989

CHAPTER 9

Some significant changes for the better took place in 1989 in the life of all the churches in the USSR.  A number of historic events -- particularly concerning the development of the Church charity movement and the growing media coverage of the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church -- illustrated the development of restructuring in church-state relations and showed the progress that has been made in spiritual and moral areas.

An event took place at the beginning of 1989 that testified to the change in the churches' position in public life:  several representatives of various confessions were elected to the USSR Congress of People's Deputies.  These included Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia, Catholicos of all Armenians Vazgen I, and Chairman of the Muslim Religious Board for Trans-caucasia, Sheikh Allakhshukur Gummat ogly Pasha-zade, These religious leaders were nominated by various public organisations such as the Soviet Committee in Defence of Peace and the Soviet Charity and Health Fund.

Both the Soviet and the foreign press have devoted many pages to discussing the proposed new law on freedom of conscience.  To the amazement of world public opinion, no less than four drafts of this law have appeared, and one has even been printed in the official Soviet press.  The official draft has not yet been published, but, according to the latest information, it is currently being examined by the USSR Supreme Soviet.

The removal of Konstantin Kharchev from the position of chairman of the USSR Council for Religious Affairs of the USSR Council of Ministers caused a public outcry.  Kharchev gave several interviews in which he defended his position and accused his enemies of impropriety.  Those who had demanded his removal were, for the most part, members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.  A press campaign was subsequently launched to convince the reader that the former "minister for religion" was totally ill-fitted for the post he had held.

The church charity drive, which in addition to the Russian Orthodox Church, enjoys the participation of Baptists and Seventh-Day Adventists, had made progress but at a somewhat slower pace than might have been expected.  Despite numerous articles stressing the critical importance of such work, the churches' path is still blocked by a powerful obstacle:  the existing legislation that categorically forbids them from engaging in charitable works.  Therefore the charity movement is dependent on the initiatives of individuals church officials and believers and is being conducted outside the law and on an individual basis.  The churches have asked the state for permission to build orphanages, almshouses and old peoples' homes, but such initiatives have thus far struggled to get off the ground.  Press coverage of these difficulties has been sympathetic.  In November 1989, for example, a long article in Izvestia described how the authorities had refused to return a church house to believers, which the latter wanted to convert into an old people's home.

Yet, despite all these obstacles, some positive developments have been noted.  Believers have started caring for patients not only in clinics in Moscow and Leningrad but also in several other cities, and a number of concerts in aid of charity have been staged, including one in the great hall of the Moscow choral synagogue.  The fact that it is now possible for church representatives to visit prisoners also attests to the progress made in the field of charitable works.  Metropolitan Filaret of Kiev and Galicia paid a visit to a strict-regime labour colony near Kiev in August, and in the same month a Russian Orthodox priest, Father Sergei, visited the notorious Butyrki prison in Moscow.  In December 1989, the doors of the women's corrective labour camp in Berezniki were thrown open to priests, and Literaturnaya gazeta described with great emotion and sympathy how the convicts crossed themselves and wept when they saw the clergymen.

It was presumably the government's appeal "to use all available forces in the battle against crime" that led "the organs of law and order" to grant priests permission to visit convicts.  The churches have thus succeeded in conquering new and important positions.  For the time being, these visits are still in the nature of "a local experiment", as the special correspondent of Literaturnaya gazeta in Ukraine characterised Metropolitan Filaret's visit to the camp at Bucha.  Nevertheless, it is expected that in the course of time such visits will become a regular occurrence in many prisons.

The government is undoubtedly making concessions to the churches, calculating that many believers support restructuring and are, in any case, "model citizens" with regard to their morality in everyday and working life.  The churches, for their part, are constantly stressing their positive attitude to restructuring processes and their active support of the government's battles against social problems such as alcoholism, crime and drug abuse.

At the end of 1989, a special initiative group was formed to support restructuring called 'The Church and Perestroika".  Activists within the group declared their aims to be:  the renewal of the Russian Orthodox Church and its participation in a "genuine renaissance";  the democratisation of parish life;  the organisation of missionary work and religious schools, groups and libraries;  participation in philanthropic activities;  and the creation of a Christian youth organisation.  These are ambitious and very important beginnings.

One of the highlights of the year was Mikhail Gorbachev's meeting with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican in November, which received great attention in the international press.  Various articles appeared in the international press over a period of months concerning the subjects likely to be discussed and the possible results of their meeting.  There were three burning issues:  the registration of the Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate) Church, negotiations on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Soviet Union, and the Pope's proposed visit to the Soviet Union.

The efforts of supporters of the Ukrainian Catholic Church to secure the legalisation of their church forty years after its liquidation in 1946 were partially successful.  Although the Church has not been officially restored, Literaturnaya gazeta reported in December that the Ukrainian Council for Religious Affairs had approved the registration of "Greek-Catholic communities".  This is undoubtedly an important milestone on the path to the Church's full recognition.