New Laws Tightening Church Autonomy

Executive Committee of the Kostroma Regional Soviet, Secret. To all Chairmen of Town District Executive Committees. May 23, 1961

 

Original Source: State Archive of Kostroma Region (Kostroma), f. 2102, no. 13/S, 23.

Secret

To all Chairmen of Town District Executive Committees

An analysis of the activity of religious associations in the region in 1960 and in the first quarter of 1961 shows that despite the considerable work of atheist propaganda undertaken by party and soviet organs in the region, the religiosity and activism of believers remains high. The following facts attest to this:

Compared to 1959, participation in rites has increased in the region in the current year. While in 1959 in the region 35 percent of the newly-born were baptized, in 1960 in the region 38 percent were baptized.

In 1959 those buried with religious rites were 27 percent of total number of those dying, in 1960 the figure was 38.5 percent.

Participation in rites has risen, especially in the towns of Kostroma, Bui and Nerekhta. In Makar’ev district the so-called ‘Holy Flood’ place of worship continues to function to where believers flock – pilgrims from the Neia, Manturovo, Shar’ia, Kady, Makar’ev and other districts. In the same district, despite the legislation on cults, in the village of Nezhitino believers periodically gather around the closed church and conduct improvised services.

In the Krasnoselsk and Nerekhta districts the buildings of churches closed in 1960 cannot be used for cultural and economic uses, as the believers will not hand over the keys to the local soviet organs and worse still certain persons, exploiting the fact of the closure of churches, are activating the believers and organizing the collection of signatures on numerous statements, which they send to various offices with a petition to open them.

In a number of districts of the region (Bui, Kostroma, Susanino) church buildings of churches closed earlier, not being used by Executive committees, remain furnished with church property, and these are arousing attempts by individual believers to petition for their opening.

The property and inventory of churches closed earlier are being removed by the population and individual believers are collecting a great quantity of icons and other objects and are creating their own home-made chapels.

As a result of this lack of control by local Soviets over church property, objects of historical value could be lost. During a selective examination in 1960 of a small number of closed churches more than 60 objects, which were monuments of ancient Russian art, were discovered.

Instances of the violation by clergy and religious association of soviet legislation on cults continue to take place.

As a result of the weak control on the part of local Soviets, church organizations have strengthened their material base, widened religious propaganda and increased their influence on certain strata of the population, and the matter has reached such a point that individual priests (KALINENKOV, Bui district) are conducting conversations among the people on political themes.

At the same time the Executive Committee of the Regional Soviet notes that instances of the violation of soviet legislation on cults have taken place on the part of individual representatives of local soviet organs and of unjustified, crude attitudes to believers and servants of cult, which causes harm to the communist education of workers.

The Executive Committee of Kostroma Regional Soviet has been informed that the USSR Council of Ministers adopted the Decree No. 263 on 16 March 1961 ‘On the strengthening of control on the observance of the legislation on cults’. (The decision of the Executive Committee of the Regional Soviet in accordance with this Decree has been distributed to you.)

At the direction of the CPSU CC, an instruction was issued by the Council for the affairs of the ROC attached to the USSR Council of Ministers on the application of soviet legislation on cults. (Two copies of the instruction are attached to the present letter.) Believers and the clergy should not be acquainted with the new instruction, as in content it is not new and only systematizes the basic laws on cults and restores the Leninist legislation on religion and the church. There is also no need to familiarize them with it, in order not to give church people the possibility to interpret the instruction as some kind of new course on the part of the soviet state in relation to religion and the church.

In conversation with church people and the resolution of any question concerning the activity of religious associations it is necessary to refer to the Decree of the ACEC and SPC of 8 April 1929 which is included in the collection ‘The Communist Party and the Soviet government on religion and the church’ (State Political Publishers, 1959).

On 18 April 1961 the Synod adopted a decision to change a series of articles in the ‘Statute on the administration of the Russian orthodox church’ and adapted them in accordance with current legislation on cults.

In particular the Synod, as envisaged in soviet laws, proposed that the clergy should not interfere in questions of the financial, administrative activity of religious associations and limited their functions solely to the carrying out of religious rites. The decision of the Synod has been distributed to all priests of functioning churches. This decision can be referred to in conversations with believers.

In connection with the foregoing, the Executive Committee of Kostroma Regional Soviet PROPOSES:

1. To bring under control and to take an active part in the reorganization of the administration of religious associations. The basic essence of the reorganization is to ensure that the administration of economic and financial matters in the community be transferred into the hands of elected church organs, and that the role of the priest be confined, as indicated above, exclusively to questions of the liturgy. The executive organ (the church Council), made up of 3 people and elected at meetings of the religious society (the committee of 20) by open voting, will stand at the head of the parish community of believers. In addition revision commissions made up of 3 people will be elected. The religious community will employ the priests of the church on the recommendation of the Bishop, with compulsory registration by the Commissioner of the Council for the affairs of the ROC attached to the USSR Council of Ministers.

The community is not to be subject to the Diocesan administration in financial and economic questions. The finance organs of the Town/district executive committees have the right to examine all income and expenditure documents in the church.

For the church executive organs it is necessary to select those people through whom it would be possible to secure the realization of unconditional fulfillment of the legislation on cults, and to conduct work in a direction necessary to us. One must strive to ensure that there should be no religious fanatics, dishonorable people, rogues or former criminals in the executive organs.

The Commissioner of the Council for the affairs of the ROC and the local soviet organs have the right of unlimited rejection of candidates for the church Council. It is necessary to study each religious community and its make-up and put forward possible candidates to posts as members of church Councils and revision committees. This work must be conducted by the Executive Committees of the local Soviets under the control and with the help of the Commissioner of the Council for the affairs of the ROC. The Executive Committees must assign to this task politically prepared people who know how to cope with the appointed tasks. It is vital that in conducting this work no sensation is allowed that could evoke an increase in activity among the church people.

It must be explained to the local Soviets that correctly-conducted reorganization of the administration of the church and the reestablishment of the rights of religious communities will give the possibility in the very near future to achieve a weakening of the material base of the church and a sharp fall in its influence among the backward sector of the population.

2. It is necessary especially to think through the question of a sharp fall of income received by the church. Now, when all the income of the churches will be in the hands of the church organs, the opportunity is there to put an end to the obviously speculative machinations in the business of the sale of candles, communion bread and all other kinds of church attributes. Prices for candles, rites etc. will be established by the church Councils.

The opportunity is there for representatives of local soviet organs to bring pressure to bear on the executive organs in favor of a significant reduction in the prices of these objects which will allow as a whole a reduction in church incomes.

3. It is necessary, making use of the rights of the executive organs, to reduce significantly the granting of permission to acquire property, means of transport and houses, expenditure on grandeur and the decoration of churches. Only in exceptional circumstances, in cases of the greatest need, can permission be given to church associations to acquire property and conduct repairs to church buildings, for which give agreement for the repairs after the drawing up of the certificate of defects by building specialists and within the limits of the financial resources in hand.

4. It is necessary for the Executive Committees to analyze thoroughly t.. state of participation in religious rites and to work out why this is not falling, while in a range of cases it is rising, it is not excluded that these manifestations receive widespread dissemination as a result of the mass violations of legislation on cults by the clergy, when they baptize the newly-born in private homes, in the homes of priests, church wardens and other places.

It is necessary for local soviet organs to turn their attention to the complete liquidation of all forms of church charity.

5. It is necessary for Town District Executive committees to take measures to prevent pilgrimages and gatherings of believers in the open air, as has taken place in Makar’ev and other districts.

6. In the course of 1961 it is necessary to make a record on the forms presented of all the religious societies and groups of believers that are in practice active, regardless of whether they are registered or unregistered, as well as to make a record of all church buildings present in your region, whether active or already closed, and of all property and buildings in official use by church organs or in an unsupervised state. (The forms attached: record card, summary report on religious associations active in practice, summary data on property and hired personnel of religious associations.)

The executive committee informs you that church funds are made up of voluntary contributions via the collection plate, as well as payment for candles, communion bread and others from contributions for the needs of the church. The financial reserves of the religious community are to be held in the Bank in the name of the given religious society. To open a current account in the name of the religious community at the bank, in accordance with the Instruction of the USSR State Bank No. 28 of 3 March 1960, confirmation from the local Soviets (Town/District Executive committees) of its registration according to the established framework. Monies from the current account can be received from the current account by check, signed by the chairman (elder and the treasurer of the church Council of the religious community). The executive organ of the religious community has its stamp and letter-head. The religious community is registered by the Executive Committee of the Town/District Soviet and the Commissioner of the Council for the affairs of the ROC. All contributions towards the upkeep of the Patriarchate, the Diocese or the pension fund can be made on a strictly voluntary basis in amounts determined by the church Councils. All instructions issued earlier on questions of the financial and administrative activity of Diocesan administrations are no longer effective.
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONAL SOVIET M. OSIPENKOVA
Typed in 2 copies
One – to the Regional Executive Committee One – to the file

Source: Felix Corley, ed., Religion in the Soviet Union: an Archival Reader (New York: New York University Press, 1996), Doc. 136.

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