russian church

1 definition found

russian church - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Russian Church \Rus"sian Church\, Russian Orthodox Church
  \Rus"sian Or"tho*dox Church\
     The established church of the Russian empire up to the
     revolution of 1917, at which time the ruling Communist party
     tried to suppress all religious worship. The czar was the
     nominal head of the church, but he never claimed the right of
     deciding questions of theology and dogma. It still forms a
     portion, by far the largest, of the Orthodox (Eastern) Church
     and is governed by the Patriarch and the Holy Synod. In 1988
     the church, with official approval, celebrated the 1000 year
     anniversary of the baptism of Russia. After breakup of the
     Soviet Union in 1991 the Russian Church began to regain some
     its old influence in Russian life, and the government turned
     over some of the confiscated churches back to church control.
     The Russian Church was recognized anew as the official church
     of Russia, with special priveleges, by an act of the Russian
     Duma in 1997. The Metropolitan of Moscow, as Patriarch of the
     church, is regarded as the first among equals in order of
     deference among bishops of the church.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]