COUNTRY
RussiaPOPULATION
142,517,670 (July 2012 est.)GDP PER CAPITA
$17,000 (2011 est.)RELIGIONS
Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet ruleAT THE CENTER
Why Religious Freedom? International Perspectives on China, Russia, and Central Europe (Full Screen)
RELATED RESOURCES
ORGANIZATIONS (7)
Buddhist Aryadevy Center
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, the Ukraine, in Kazakhstan and Central Asia
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, the Ukraine, in Kazakhstan and Central Asia
PEOPLE (10)
QUOTES (10)
Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky on Russia's Role in Saving Europe
November 24, 2010
Vladimir Putin on Harmony between Church and State in Meeting with Russian Orthodox Clergy
November 19, 2007
Vladimir Putin on Religious Education in a meeting with Russian Orthodox Clergy
November 19, 2007
November 24, 2010
Vladimir Putin on Harmony between Church and State in Meeting with Russian Orthodox Clergy
November 19, 2007
Vladimir Putin on Religious Education in a meeting with Russian Orthodox Clergy
November 19, 2007
PUBLICATIONS (3)
Response from His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia
April 14, 2008
Religion and Identity in Modern Russia
May 30, 2005
Religion, State and Politics in the Soviet Union and Successor States
November 25, 1994
April 14, 2008
Religion and Identity in Modern Russia
May 30, 2005
Religion, State and Politics in the Soviet Union and Successor States
November 25, 1994
Russia
Interviews (15)
Religion in Russia has undergone a revitalization since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Russian Orthodox Church developed symbiotically with the emergent Russian state during the medieval and early modern periods, becoming a pillar of the Tsarist regime that governed the country until the early 20th century. The Russian Revolution of 1917 severed this close relationship. The ensuing Communist government of the Soviet Union aimed to reduce the power of churches and ultimately eliminate religion from society. This goal was pursued aggressively but inconsistently by Joseph Stalin (1924-53) and to a lesser extent by his successors. The end of Communism in 1991 brought about a gradual mending of the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the government. Today, the Russian Constitution maintains the separation of church and state and grants freedom of religion, but critics point to persistent discrimination against minority faiths, including Muslims, many of whom live in regions like Chechnya, where Russia waged two wars (1994-96, 1999-2009) against a separatist movement.
Background: This discussion preceded a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation, an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, took stock of the range of ongoing work by organizations that are, in varying ways, inspired by religious faith, but more important, explored policy implications that emerge from...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing development work by different organizations...
Background: Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in South and Central Asia, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 10-11, 2011. The consultation is an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Its aim is to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations that are,...
Background: This exchange between Scilla Elworthy and Katherine Marshall took place in July, 2010 and traces Elworthy's multifaceted work over the years on women and peace. She began decades ago, sparked by a report she was asked to compile for UNESCO reviewing its contribution to the 1980 UN Mid Decade Conference on Women. She highlights the many threads that link work at the most global level, for example on nuclear disarmament, with actions at the local level, where women play prominent...
Background: This June 2010 exchange between Kathleen Kuehnast and Susan Hayward focuses on Kathleen's experiences working in Northern Ireland and in Kyrgyzstan, which in turn led her into the field of conflict resolution, with a particular focus on gender dynamics in conflict. Kathleen presses for religion to be better understood and examined as it relates to gender dynamics in conflict and peace.
Background: Etienne De Jonghe's career has focused on working for world peace. He was Secretary General of Pax Christi International for nearly 30 years. (Pax Christi is a Catholic international peace movement, autonomous with respect to church authorities with a very strong lay input. Its international secretariat is currently located in Brussels.) In the first part of the interview, De Jonghe reflects on the evolution of Pax Christi over the years and his role in guiding and shaping the...
Background: This discussion between Milton Amayun and Katherine Marshall recounts Dr. Amayun's extraordinary career in international public health that is continuously and across many dimensions inspired by Christian faith. Dr. Amayun was trained in medicine in Manila, Philippines and later received his Master's degree in public health from Harvard University. He has just taken up a position directing USAID's public health programs in Benin, after a career largely spent working for World...
Background: As part of the Foreign Policy Practitioners Interview Series, Dr. Thomas Farr interviewed Elliott Abrams, former member and Chairman of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and current Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Washington Office. In this interview, Abrams speaks about how his professional and religious experience led to his involvement with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Additionally,...
Background: The context for this discussion is preparation for a consultation on faith and development in Southeast Asia, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 14-15, 2009. The consultation was an endeavor of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, with support from the Luce Foundation, and the University of Cambodia. It aimed to take stock of the wide range of ongoing work by different organizations...
You have long been a vocal leader within the Catholic Church, and among religious leaders more broadly, on humanitarian and development issues. How did you come to those concerns?
It's hard to know where to start. I think perhaps there were two things that in a very special way brought me to this kind of a life. The first was the vocation that I found in the priesthood, because the priesthood is a life that hopefully demands that you look out for the poor, the handicapped, the stranger, and...
Background: Dr. Kim Hourn Kao was born in Cambodia and educated in the United States. He received his B.A. in Asian Studies from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. After completing his B.A., Kao went on to earn masters in International Affairs and Political Science, as well as earning a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii. As a scholar and a diplomat, he has made various important contributions to both Cambodia and ASEAN. Kao is the president and founder of the University...
Background: Dr. Gerlinda Lucas is serving in Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE as Deputy Director of Administration. Her main role is monitoring and evaluating the HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria program of the hospital that is funded by Global Fund. She also took part in launching a community outreach project through a mobile clinic, currently providing basic primary health care and health education to most depressed area in Phnom Penh. In the past, Dr. Lucas served as Medical Project Supervisor in...
Background:This conversation in July 2009 between Paul Zintl, Katherine Marshall, and Thomas Bohnett was part of a Berkley Center review of tuberculosis and particularly roles that faith communities and institutions might play. It was completed and updated by email in August/September 2010. In the interview, Dr. Zintl highlights the inspiration of a Catholic priest in Peru, Dr. Jack Roussin, as the origin of PIH's revolutionary TB work. He stresses the strong links between poverty and...
The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE in Cambodia does remarkable work and HOPE worldwide prides itself on managing and “growing” this enterprise. How did you get started?
The hospital, which will very soon (a matter of weeks) care for its one millionth patient, is a triumph of interfaith cooperation and partnership. The project came about and has developed through the cooperation of a Jewish journalist, a Japanese spiritual entrepreneur, and a Christian world development organization, working...
The hospital, which will very soon (a matter of weeks) care for its one millionth patient, is a triumph of interfaith cooperation and partnership. The project came about and has developed through the cooperation of a Jewish journalist, a Japanese spiritual entrepreneur, and a Christian world development organization, working...
Background: In this discussion, just prior to the Antigua Berkley Center/WFDD consultation on faith-inspired organizations in Latin America, Carol Lancaster reflected on her engagement with development issues as a practitioner working with USAID and as an academic. She describes her work on the roles of U.S. evangelical churches in development activities in Latin America, and particularly in Guatemala. Her aim is to understand better the appeal of evangelical churches to indigenous...