Catholicism in Russia: history of origin, stages of development

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The history and modernity of Catholicism in Russia goes back to the 9th-11th centuries. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, only two Catholic churches operated on Russian territory. They were located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition, there were Polish priests at the representative offices of firms in this country. However, they were not officially registered, they performed services only in relation to their compatriots living in the Russian Federation. Catholicism in Russia today is represented by an archdiocese, three dioceses. There is also an apostolic prefecture on Russian territory.

Defining Catholicism

The term refers to the world's largest branch of Christianity. It spread to European countries and the United States. Catholicism is the religion of the world, represented in almost every country on the globe. It had a decisive influence on the historical development, the formation of the Western European states and the United States. The definition of "Catholicism" comes from the Latin word for "universal".

All books of the Bible are considered canonical in this religion. Only the priests interpret the text. They give celibacy, a vow of celibacy, thanks towho are separated from the laity. If you describe that this is Catholicism, briefly and clearly, the most important thing in it is the performance of good deeds for the salvation of the soul. The Pope has a treasure trove of good deeds, distributing them to all who need them. This practice is called indulgences. Briefly, for this Catholicism was criticized by representatives of Orthodoxy. As a result, another split occurred in Christianity - Protestants appeared.

In Russia

In the 1990s, there was a massive recovery of religiosity across the country, and it affected different faiths. A lot of people were disillusioned with the communist ideal and they were eager to find new ideas. Someone went to Orthodoxy, and someone took up the revival of Catholicism in Russia. Many people fell into sects, radical societies. Many prophets, obsessed, heretics appeared, who gathered around them whole crowds up to several thousand followers. All this went on for years, however, many followers passed from one prophet to another, not staying in a certain group for a long time.

In 2004, at the Congress of Christian Culture in Lublin, he raised the question of how superficially Catholicism was perceived in modern Russia. For former communists, religion meant nothing more than a change of sign. It turned out that it is much easier to change the hammer and sickle with a cross than to change the Soviet way of thinking.

According to statistics, Catholicism in Russia is most often represented by the heads of charitable movements.

Origins

Russia, bordering Europe andAsia, has always been open to the influence of many faiths. Although Prince Vladimir adopted Byzantine Christianity, which determined the historical development of Russia. But at the same time, the Latin tradition has been developing in the country for the entire 1000 years.

The adoption of Christianity in Russia was not a one-time action, the process dragged on for many years. At the same time, preachers came both from Western countries and from Byzantium. It is noteworthy that historical sources contain information that in 867 the Russians were baptized in Constantinople. Little is known about where these people settled. Historians argue about this, in the 9th century the metropolia "Rosia" is mentioned, but it has nothing to do with Kyiv. Most likely, we are talking about Tmutarakan Rus.

However, the Russian chronicles are silent about this, and the first Russian metropolitan appears in them in the 17th century. The first famous Christian preacher in Russia, Adalbert, arrived at the request of Princess Olga in 961 from Germany. Olga began to rule Kyiv in 945. She was a Christian, canonized as Equal to the Apostles. They received baptism in Byzantium, but refused from the Constantinople church hierarchy. In 959, she turned to the ruler of Germany, asking him to send a bishop. But when, 2 years later, he arrived in the country, Olga's son Svyatoslav, a convinced pagan, was already in power. And the bishop failed to influence the situation in the country.

When Christianity was adopted in the country in 988, Russia continued to contact Rome. Information has been preserved that Vladimir communicated with the Holy See. From here Catholic preachers were sent to Russia. The mission of Saint Bruno, who went to the Pechenegs, is known. Vladimir received him cordially, and the preacher made peace with the Pechenegs and converted their group to Christianity. Later, the Dominican monks followed the same path. An important feature of the Cyril and Methodius tradition was that the division of the Churches into Western and Eastern was not accepted.

In the 6th century, Saint Clement was martyred in the Crimea. His cult was spread by Cyril and Methodius. Part of the relics was transferred to Rome. Later, Vladimir took out the relics and left them in the church of the Virgin of the Tithes. It was the most important shrine in Russia. In the 11th century, Yaroslav the Wise showed it to European ambassadors.

It was this cult that was the stronghold of the opposition to the "Greekization" of Christianity in Russia, which was actively pursued by Constantinople. However, later Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky began to supplant this cult, replacing it with Andrew the First-Called. Saint Clement was revered on a par with other saints. In short, Catholicism appeared in Russia in the 18th century, with the revival of the cult of St. Clement.

There is information about how the Dominicans and Franciscans appeared in Russia before the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols in the XIII century. There was a mission of these monks in Kyiv. However, with the invasion of Khan Batu, actually 200 houses remained from the European capital of Kyiv. Churches and a Dominican monastery were destroyed.

In 1247, the Franciscans went through Russia to the Khan, who saw with their own eyes the consequences of the invasion. On the way back they negotiated with DanielGalitsky about reunification with the Roman Church.

It is noteworthy that in a nutshell, Catholicism in Russia has left traces of its influence in many ways. Many church concepts have Latin roots - the cross (crux), the shepherd (pastor) and so on.

This influence was also reflected in literary art. Many lives have been translated from Latin into Slavonic. It is known that in Russia there were churches of Latin rites - in Kyiv, Novgorod, Ladoga.

Rise of Catholicism in Russia

The surge of Catholicism in Russia took place during the Time of Troubles. Then the enslavement of the peasants, begun by Ivan the Terrible, was actually completed. And in Poland a young man appeared who called himself his son Dmitry. He triumphantly walked across the country, the peasants saw in him the hope of liberation from the fetters of serfdom. Along with him were representatives of the Latin clergy. However, the reign of the prince ended in 1606. Then the dreams of uniting the Russian Church with Rome were also destroyed. Attempts to do this continued throughout the history of Russia.

The most grandiose changes took place during the reign of Peter I. Along with other parishes, Catholic churches appeared. When they opened, the Orthodox clergy were indignant much more than when they were created Protestant. Catholicism in Russia was represented in the churches of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Astrakhan, Nezhin. However, divine services according to the Latin tradition were also held in other settlements.

Relationships with Orthodoxy in modern times

In 1991, with the liberalization of society, the negativethe attitude of the Orthodox clergy towards Catholics has not changed. Someone cooperated with the Western Church, but such people were a minority. Describing Catholicism in modern Russia, it is worth noting that the bishops of this faith consider it rare for even an indifferent attitude towards Catholicism from Orthodox priests. Nevertheless, contacts between them continue.

Representatives of Catholicism in modern Russia belong to the most diverse races and nationalities. Priests from all over the world work in this field. Every year, 2 new priests from among Russian subjects take this dignity. The main problem of those who wear such a dignity is instability. It often happens that in a couple of years, those who have taken the dignity decide to leave pastoral work and start a family. This is influenced by the Orthodox tradition, in which there is no celibacy - a vow of celibacy. If we describe modern Russian Catholicism briefly and clearly, this is a Christian trend that is increasingly asserting its own identity in Russia. Probably, it will never become truly Russian. Since describing what peoples profess Catholicism in Russia, the researchers note that they are mainly Lithuanians, Poles, Ukrainians and Belarusians.

Most of the services are held in Russian. This is how a new spirituality appears. There are Catholic parishes in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, and Vladivostok. They are an important part of the country's religious diversity.

Statistics

In the 20th century, Catholicism in Russia wasrepresented by 10,500,000 people. In total, there were over 5,000 Catholic churches in the country. They had more than 4300 representatives of the clergy. It received support from the state treasury. However, there were more than 500,000 Catholics on the territory of Russia itself. Two seminaries also functioned.

After the October Revolution broke out in 1917, the territories dominated by Catholics became independent. We are talking about Belarus, Poland, the B altic States, Western Ukraine.

History

Relations between the Soviet Union and the Vatican were complicated. When the tsar was overthrown, and the church was separated from the state, the Holy See began to hope for an opportunity to activate Catholicism on the territory of Russia. But this religion also suffered the fate of all other religions. Despite active repressions and the emigration of a large number of people who professed Catholicism in Russia, according to various studies, 1,300,000 Catholics remained in the country during Soviet times.

In 1991, the Vatican began to reform the Roman Catholic Church of the Soviet Union. The publication of a monthly magazine in Russian has begun. It provided information about the development of Catholicism in the modern country. Meanwhile, the Orthodox clergy actively oppose the spread of this current of Christianity. There is not much information about him just for this reason.

After the Polish partition in 1722, many people of the Catholic faith turned out to be Russian subjects. The authorities allowed the construction of churches, a new diocese of Kherson was approved. However, in Belarus it was forbidden to put into force the orders that came from Rome without the consent of the Russian authorities.

The Latin Church and its development were under constant state supervision. Catherine did not allow the publication of the papal breve in 1773, when the Jesuit order was destroyed. She gave the latter to exist in Russia. Some of the wishes of Rome were satisfied - in particular, the requirements for schools and churches, the freedom of movement of clergy.

When Emperor Paul accepted the title of Grand Master of the Order of M alta, many M altese knights came to the country. They were Jesuits. With them came the idea that there are no significant differences between the Latin and Orthodox traditions.

During the reign of Alexander I, this idea was even more pronounced. Propaganda of the idea of unification of churches was even more successful. Thanks to French emigrants, who entered Russia in large numbers in those years, they strengthened it. A boarding school was opened in St. Petersburg, where people from aristocratic families were brought up in the spirit of Catholicism.

But the propaganda ended when the Jesuits were expelled. Polish uprisings led to restrictive measures against Catholicism in Russia.

Catholic Church of Eastern Traditions

At the end of the 19th century, all these processes led to the actual emergence of the Russian Catholic Church of Eastern traditions. The Russian clergy from among the Catholics was in a difficult situation. They were not accepted by the Latins,the Orthodox side subjected them to persecution. And even when in 1909 in St. Petersburg they opened the first Catholic church of Eastern traditions, issued a manifesto on religious tolerance, their position was not legalized. They lived under the threat of closure, and in 1913 it happened.

However, it had its consequences. A manifesto published in 1905 made it legal to convert from Orthodoxy to other denominations. Previously, it was prosecuted by law. And then many confessions in the country breathed freely, and only according to official data, in 1905-1909, 233,000 people converted from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. At the same time, Catholicism in Russia did not receive a full range of rights. Even during this period, in 1906, the Constitutional Catholic Party was banned, sending a Catholic delegate into exile.

When the government was reviewing the legislation in this area, the First World War began. And then the project did not have time to turn around.

Attitude towards revolution

For these reasons, Russian Catholicism accepted the revolution of 1917 with enthusiasm. However, only a few months of freedom for its representatives provided these events. In 1918, large-scale persecution of religion began. Spiritual organizations were deprived of all rights, church property was transferred to the state.

Catholics who tried to oppose this process were arrested. In 1922, censorship of sermons was introduced, and religious teaching was prohibited. Instead of spiritual organizations, atheistic ones arose. Soon the waves beganrepression. Those that were applied to Catholic priests were called the "Tseplyak-Budkevich process." They faced harsh sentences that provoked a flurry of protests in Russia and around the world.

In 1925 secret episcopal consecrations were initiated. In the course of them, the Catholic formations that existed in the underground were reformed. In 1931, almost the entire existing community of Eastern Catholics was sent to the Gulags.

At the end of the 1930s, thus, only 2 Catholic churches in Moscow and Leningrad remained on the territory of the whole country. In 1944, Stalin drew attention to the Catholics. He considered the Vatican a direct adversary in Eastern Europe. And the measures he took were not accidental.

On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, Catholic missionaries tried to get into the USSR in different ways. Their activities were actively suppressed by the NKVD. They were denounced as "agents of the Vatican". After the war, "catacomb" Catholic societies developed. Nikodim, Metropolitan of Leningrad, played a big role here.

It is noteworthy that in the 1990s, the revival of monastic orders began. Then the Jesuits returned to the country. The Sisters of Mercy of Mother Teresa visited Russia.

At the moment, the Catholics are faced with the task of restoring the church's former heritage. Also, the activity is directed to the ability to bring Christ to the pagans of the new time. And these tasks are relevant in a state in which atheism reigned for 70 years.

Conclusion

Freedom of activity of Catholics in the country is a guarantee of the establishment of democratic principles in Russia. In a state where there are many confessions, Catholics are determined to maintain mutual understanding. First of all, this concerns the Orthodox clergy. Catholicism in Russia is an integral part of the thousand-year history of the state, the clergy emphasize that the strength of this country lies in its diversity, including confessional.