The Problem of Religious Tolerance in the "Feedback of Diocesan Bishops on the Question of Church Reform" (1905-1906).

Abstract

The article is devoted to a discussion of the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1905 in connection with the question of the introduction of religious tolerance. The occasion was the manifesto "On Strengthening the Principles of Religious Tolerance". The law gave freedom to all faiths, but did not affect the position of Orthodoxy. All this gave rise to mass discussions in church society in which the problem of religious toleration had a special place. A reflection of the debates on this question was the Review of the Diocesan Hierarchs on Church Reform. In these, the higher clergy gave their assessment of the position of the Orthodox Church in the face of the new manifesto. Some regarded the law as a positive phenomenon for Church life, while others, refuting this view, voiced their criticism of the law. Despite the differences of opinion, all the bishops were in favour of change, in order to revitalise the activities of the Orthodox Church.