The Seven Youths of Ephesus are a traditional icon for the Russian Orthodox Church. The Seven Youths of Ephesus were sealed in a cave during the third century, but emerged 300 years later following a miraculous slumber.
After eight decades of atheist Soviet rule, the Russian Orthodox Church entered a metaphorically similar hibernation, forced from the center of society to the margins and cut off from most meaningful intellectual and theological engagement with the broader world.
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Churches and monasteries were closed.
Before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the Russian Orthodox Church had a strong presence throughout Russia. However, after the Revolution most churches and monasteries were closed.
This is a shame for the Russian orthodox church. These were the places where people came to worship and to pray.
Many of them were in cities. There were about 550 monasteries and 475 nunneries in Old Russia, before the Bolshevik Revolution.
Today, only seven are still open and a dozen are still nunneries.
Patriarch Kirill is trying to strengthen the russian orthodox church’s position by fighting “outsiders.” This means missionaries from other denominations and faiths.
This is a difficult task for the russian orthodox church because its structure and hierarchy were formed in the Soviet period, which makes it hard for them to deal with a society that is not well informed about their religion. They need to find ways to teach their members and the public about what they believe.
Patriarchate was weak.
During the 19th century, the Patriarchate had a bright period of reconstruction and rebirth. The Church received gifts, loans and donations from all Orthodox Christians around the world who saw in the Patriarchate a bright renaissance.
Today, the Patriarchate rises again. Its responsibilities, its extensive history and enormous inheritance have a resounding effect throughout the entire Christian world.
The problem lies in the fact that sometimes the Russian Orthodox Church is portrayed as pursuing narrow national or political interests and not in the common good of the whole Orthodox Church. This can result in accusations of so-called phyletism, which is alien to Christianity.
In reality, the ROC is a true church, which has always been committed to the ecumenical mission and to the unity of the whole Church of Christ. Its relations with the other Eastern patriarchates are based on this conviction. Its diplomacy has been an important instrument in Russia’s ecumenical endeavor.
Churches and monasteries were destroyed.
In the 20th century, when a policy was implemented to eliminate Christianity from Russia, many churches were destroyed. It wasn’t just the buildings, but also the church members and monks that were affected.
The Russian Orthodox Church has a strong monastic tradition that goes back to Egypt. This tradition influenced the whole world, and even today, monastic life is an integral part of Orthodox spirituality.
But in recent years, a new problem has arisen. After young monks ordination, they are pushed out into the world, tonsured and assigned to a parish, where they have no family to care for them.
So, for the Church to thrive, it’s important that priests and bishops stay in contact with their parishioners, who are often elderly or have children. This is a real problem for smaller villages in Russia, where the number of believers is so great that it’s hard for priests to know their parishioners well.
Patriarchate was too strong.
The Patriarchate was too strong and church life became an extension of the State. In 1721 Peter the Great dissolved the Patriarchate, and in its place established a diocesan consistory under the imperial high commissioner, the ober-prokurator.
The result of this was a radical reorganization of the Russian Orthodox Church. This was a serious violation of the traditional, canonical Orthodox Church order in Russia and was formally ratified by the Eastern patriarchs.
This reorganization was not only a major blow to the Orthodox Church in Russia, but also a serious challenge to the unity of the Eastern churches and the Orthodox faith as a whole. In addition to the disruption of church and state relations, it brought about the destruction of many monasteries and churches.
