SOCIOLOGICAL - RELIGION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220228-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2003
• Sequence Number: 228
• Publication Date: April 22, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220228-0
RUSSIAN CHURCH ACTIVITIES AIMED AT WEAKENING ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
Geneva -- Reports from Moscow mention that the Russian Church has resumed
its activities toward weakening the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch in
Istanbul and that it is making efforts to place under its authority every Or-
thodox Church behind the Iron Curtain. After the Polish Orthodox Church was
declared autocephalous, the Russian Church proceeded to take similar steps for
the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church, disregarding the fact that the Ecumenical
Patriarchate Is the supreme ecclesiastical authority. Aleksey, the Patriarch
of Moscow, then announced to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as to the Holy
Synod of Greece that the Czechoslovak Church was now outocephalous and that he
regarded this as a fait accompli.
Furthermore, the Russian Orthodox Church sent three bishops to Antioch to
propagandize against the Ecumenical Fatriarch with the claim that he is in-
clined toward Protestantism. At the samr time, Patriarch Aleksey invited the
Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandros, to Moscow to attend the jubilee celebrations
which were to honor the Russian Patriarch's religious career. But upon the
suggestion of two high priests of the Antioch Patriarchate, it was decided that
the Patriarch of Antioch should not ,;o to Moscow but that patriarchal represent-
atives would be sent instead. At the last minute, however, the jubilee was
postponed because of the supposed illness of Patriarch Aleksey.
Finally, according to the same reports, the Russian Archimandrite in Jeru-
salem is taking steps toward proclaiming the Arab Orthodox Church autocephalous,
with Nazareth as itr spat, This Russian movement in Jerusalem was strengthened
considerably when the Israeli government returned to the Russian Church its
property.
USSR; Syria;, Greece; Turkey
'Sociological - Religion
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COUNTRY
SUBJECT
HOW
PUBLISHED
WHERE
PUBLISHED
DATE
PUBLISHED
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Daily newspaper
Athens
11 Jan 1953
DATE DIST. aP- Apr 1953
NO. OF PAGES i
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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STATE NAVY
ARMY AIR
CLASSIFICATION
1KI NSRB
IKI FBI
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220228-0