Questions about the family status of a clergyman in the work of the Disciplinary Department of the Local Council of 1917–1918

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of discussions and decisions of the Department of the Local Council of 1917-1918 «On Church discipline» on issues of the family status of a clergyman, about the possibility of a second marriage for those priests who, for various reasons, were left without a spouse and about celibacy. The purpose of this study is to analyze the work of the disciplinary Department of the Local Council of 1917-1918 in solving problematic issues of pastoral ministry, namely the family status of a clergyman. When working with the documents of the archive of the Local Council and compiling the material, the method of historical reconstruction, as well as chronological, analytical and narrative methods were used. This article will analyze the issues considered in the Department «On Church Discipline» related to the personal life of a clergyman: on the possibility of a second marriage for widowed or divorced clergy and on the permissibility of celibate ministry in the Russian Church. As a result, it can be concluded that the Local Council, having accepted and considered all the proposed points of view, made essentially conservative provisions, but at the same time, he gave the bishops the opportunity to deviate from the accepted normal at their discretion.