Hoover Institution Acquires Aleksandr Soldatov Papers
Maryann
Wed, 07/19/2023 – 13:44
Political and religious persecution often accompany and reinforce each other. The Aleksandr Soldatov papers, recently acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, show not only the extent to which this is true but also how nuanced the persecution can be. With regard to the Russian Federation and its predecessor, the USSR, most people associate religious persecution with Jews, Pentecostals, and Baptists, although repressions against Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and just about every other religious group were practiced with comparable severity. Today we read about persecutions against Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islamic fundamentalists, and other groups, but Orthodox Christianity is often seen as exempt from such repressions. The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church is considered almost a state church, and President Vladimir Putin claims to be a believer of this faith.
The Soldatov papers, however, show the degree to which this view is superficial. Below the surface, numerous dissident or alternative Orthodox Christian groups exist outside the organizational structure of the Moscow Patriarchate. These groups are the focus of attacks by state organs (police and prosecutors) aimed at taking away property and harassing their leaders and members. The papers show …read more
Source:: Hoover Institution
