Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Sergius and the Soviet State

Abstract

At the end of 1925, Metropolitan Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod assumed the position of Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens. He undertook the task of formulating the Church’s position in relation to state authorities. Its authentic expression was the draft “Appeal”. which was rejected by the government, leading to the arrest of its author. After his release, Metropolitan Sergius, together with the Synod, issued a Message referred to as a “Declaration” in journalism. It emphasized the loyalty of the clergy and the Orthodox people to the Soviet government. Some clergymen criticized the Declaration, but a significant majority of the episcopate, clergy, and church people reacted with understanding to its publication. At the end of 1936, Metropolitan Sergius assumed the position of Locum Tenens following a false report of the death of Locum Tenens Peter. In fact, the holy Martyr Peter was still alive at that time, but in October 1937, he was shot. 1937 marked the peak of the terror. A new blow struck the Orthodox Church. On September 1, 1939, the Second World War began. As a result of the expansion of the borders of the Soviet state to the west, the Moscow Patriarchate effectively gained control over the dioceses of the Baltic States, Western Belarus, Western Ukraine, and Moldova. In the new territories, churches were closed only in exceptional cases. On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. On the first day of the war, the Locum Tenens composed a Message in which he blessed the Orthodox people for the defense of the Fatherland. From October 1941 to August 1943, the Patriarchate was located in Ulyanovsk. After its return to Moscow, Stalin and Molotov met with Metropolitans Sergius, Alexy, and Nikolai in the Kremlin. At the meeting, permission was given to convene the Council of Bishops, the most important act of which was the election of Sergius as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’. Patriarch Sergius died on May 15, 1944.