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THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE MOVEMENT (1949–1953) (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF «THE JOURNAL OF THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE»)

The newest history of Russia , UDC: 322 DOI: 10.24412/2076-9105-2025-157-179-201

Authors

  • Tulyanov Vladislav A. Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor

Annotation

The article analyzes official, journalistic, and information-analytical materials published in the “In Defense of Peace” section of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate in the period 1949–1953. The official materials included resolutions, declarations and proclamations of the World Peace Council and the Soviet Peace Committee, as well as resolutions and appeals of Patriarch Alexy (Simansky), Metropolitan Nicholas (Yarushevich) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The article shows that the main issues covered in the official materials of the heading were the following: «capitalist» countries as supporters of a new war; the Korean war; the fate of post-war Germany and Japan. The journalistic materials were devoted to various issues of international relations, but special attention was paid to some topics in the years under review. These topics included «peace» as a theological category and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the international peace movement. The information and analytical materials included essays by Metropolitan Nikolai (Yarushevich) on his trips to the World Congress of Peace Supporters in Paris (1949), the Second World Congress of Peace Supporters in Warsaw (1950) and the Vienna Congress for Peace in Vienna (1952). These essays describe Metropolitan Nicholas’ trips to the aforementioned events, his personal meetings, public appearances, descriptions of foreign delegations and general characteristics of the international peace movement, as well as the place of the USSR and the Russian Orthodox Church in it. It is concluded that all materials published under the heading “In Defense of Peace” were strictly censored, which was caused by the desire of the Soviet government to use the JMP as one of the channels of state propaganda. In this regard, all the materials of the heading, without exception, were interspersed with elements of the Soviet foreign policy agenda, contrasting the peace-loving policy of the USSR with the aggressive policy of the United States and NATO, which was supposed to shape public opinion.
Tags:
“In defense of peace” , “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate” , international peace movement , Metropolitan Nicholas (Yarushevich) , Soviet Peace Committee , World Peace Council

How to link insert

Tulyanov, V. A. (2025). THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE MOVEMENT (1949–1953) (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF «THE JOURNAL OF THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE») Bulletin of the Moscow City Pedagogical University. Series "Pedagogy and Psychology", № 1 (57), 179. https://doi.org/10.24412/2076-9105-2025-157-179-201
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