Screwtape II

Shackling the Russian Church

A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all," wrote the demon scribe in expounding the fine points of satanic strategy in C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. Screwtape would have enjoyed comparing notes with officials from the Soviet Union's State Council on Religious Affairs. At least so it would seem from an extraordinary Soviet study now circulating in the West. The secret report, reputedly written in 1975 by Council Deputy Chairman Vasili Furov, assessed the condition of the still enormous Russian Orthodox Church for the Communist Party Central Committee. In striking contrast to provisions in the Soviet constitution guaranteeing "that the church in the U.S.S.R. shall be separated from the state," the report depicts a church bound hand and foot by the state--and by a hierarchy dutifully subservient to government bureaucrats. Boasts the report: "There is no consecration of a bishop, no transfer, without thorough investigation of the candidate by appropriate officials of the council."

Sections of the study--which bears the revealing title "Cadres of the Church and Legal Measures to Curtail Their Activities"--appear in the current issue of the human rights journal RCDA: Religion in Communist Dominated Areas. Predictably, Moscow denies the document's authenticity. Claiming never to have seen the memo, Soviet Religious Affairs Spokesman Yuri Smirnov told TIME that it is the work of "enemies" who are "trying to turn the church into a political foe of the state." Said Smirnov: "There is government control of the clergy only to the extent that any citizen is under control " But to Western observers familiar with religion in the U.S.S.R., the bureaucratic language of the document rings all too true. Throughout the report council commissioners invariably appear as stalwart defenders against faith, exposing the schemes of conniving clerics who are not above offering a $240 watch or a bottle of brandy as bribes.

With a finely honed cynicism worthy of Screwtape, the report's writer even tries to separate the clerical sheep from the goats, offering a "typology of the episcopate." Seventeen members of the hierarchy, including Russian Orthodox Patriarch Pimen, are characterized as "not personally involved in spreading the influence of Orthodoxy among the population" Then there is a second, troublesome stratum of 23, "loyal to our state" but all too intent on expanding church influence. A third, highly doubtful group of 17 is suspected of actually trying to evade the laws on cults."

The Soviet Screwtape writes about listless and corrupt clergy in minute details that could only have been gleaned from a broad network of informants. The aging Archbishop of Stavropol (who died shortly after the report was written) receives special mention because his sermons are "quite brief and not very impressive." In prose more typical of anticlerical Russian folk tales, there are accounts of priests "possessed by profane passions," or who use foul language and drink excessively.

Occasional glimpses of Christian courage do filter through. The study criticizes a troublesome archbishop in Vladimir and Suzdal for ordering his clergymen "to preach more frequently and not be lazy." Pointing to a disturbing revival of traditional holiday visits by priests, the author of the report lauds one council functionary in Tomsk who "took steps to curtail such activities" after he noted that Lenten visits created a "sensation" in villages and provoked "unwholesome interest" among unbelievers.

Ultimately, however, the writer is forced to concede that despite the state's best efforts, "the church is very much alive." Western observers estimate that there are still 50 million church members, making Russian Orthodoxy one of the world's largest religious communities. As the report's author observes, even pliant church leaders have "always held and always will hold positions alien to Marxism." Perhaps the most telling indication of the failure of Soviet religious restrictions comes in a statistical detail. The Patriarchate annually prints and distributes over 1 million "garlands and prayers," paper strips inscribed with religious pictures and text that are placed in the coffin during Orthodox funerals. Since that is roughly 60% of the annual U.S.S.R. mortality rate, such a large-scale printing can only mean that however irreligious they are supposed to be in life, Russians still are drawn to the church in death. qed

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