Article
How to Entrench a De Facto State Church in Russia: A Guide in Progress
Brigham Young University Law Review
(2008)
Abstract
The Russian Orthodox Church's (ROC) assertion of a constitutionally inappropriate role in affairs of state has severely compromised Russia's secular constitutional framework. This gradual but steady erosion of the barrier between church and state is evidenced by a series of contemporary developments that are inexorably linked to the Church's vision of its traditional place in Russian history.
Disturbingly, each successive post-communist regime has further enabled this behavior, and there is no indication that the political transition from President Vladimir Putin to his hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, will change anything.
This paper argues that the emerging pattern of collusion presents a serious challenge to Russia's constitutional order and to the country's regional and international human rights commitments - chief among these being the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief.
Keywords
- Russia,
- Putin,
- Medvedev,
- freedom of religion,
- constitution,
- human rights,
- church-state,
- international law,
- european convention on human rights,
- secular,
- russian orthodox church,
- international covenant on civil and political rights,
- ICCPR,
- universal declaration on human rights,
- UDHR,
- Kirill,
- patriarch,
- rule of law
Disciplines
Publication Date
2008
Citation Information
Robert C. Blitt. "How to Entrench a De Facto State Church in Russia: A Guide in Progress" Brigham Young University Law Review Vol. 2008 Iss. 3 (2008) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_blitt/2/