Ministry of Archbishop Gabriel (Ogorodnikov) in Central Asia in 1960–1971

Abstract

The article is devoted to the archpastoral activity of Archbishop Gabriel (Ogorodnikov) of Tashkent and Central Asia (1960–1971) in Central Asia. The relevance of the article is due to the understudied nature of this topic. The study highlights the problem of strengthening atheistic propaganda of secular authorities, which Archbishop Gabriel had to face during the anti-religious campaign of Khrushchev against the Church. Particular attention is paid to the problem of the relationship of this bishop with the commissioners of the Council for Religious Affairs. In the course of the research work historical-genetic, biographical, analytical and other methods were applied. Some materials from the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Fund R-6991) and the National Archive of Uzbekistan (Fund R-2456) concerning the activities of Archbishop Gabriel in the Tashkent cathedra are published for the first time. The analysis of these and other materials, in addition to clarifying certain information from the biography of the lord, allows us to draw conclusions that the latter, despite difficult relations with the state authorities, tried to defend the positions of the Church to the best of his ability. He possessed rare spiritual gifts and sincerely loved his flock. However, due to his serious illness and, as a consequence, incapacity, the bishop was unable to prevent the closure of a significant number of churches in the diocese. The main purpose of the study is to draw attention to the activities of Archbishop Gabriel (Ogorodnikov) during his tenure at the Tashkent and Central Asian cathedra.