Problems of the legal and financial situation of the Orthodox parish clergy in the South of Russia after the February Revolution of 1917

Abstract

The article examines the problem of the status of the clergy of the southern dioceses of Russia, traces its change in connection with the revolutionary events of 1917, transformations in the field of state-church relations and changes in public consciousness. The forms in which the attitude of the laity to the clergy was expressed and the factors by which it was determined are considered. The main sources for the analysis were the materials of the public-church discussion of the problem of the situation and material support of the clergy of the periodical press. The materials of the congresses of the clergy and laity and the records of the Provisional Supreme Church Administration in the South of Russia are also involved. The author comes to the conclusion that the most important component of the reforms of this period was the inclusion of laypeople in the church administration bodies of different levels, in the solution of all categories of issues — managerial, legal and financial, which occurred at the initiative of the clergy as a whole. However, the economic dependence of the clergy on the laity, who often fell under the influence of secular authorities, against the background of the growth of individualistic sentiments, the fading of the communal spirit and the rapid flowering of the people, further aggravated the situation of the clergy, who saw a way out of the situation in a radical change in the system of material support for pastoral activities. They outlined some programs for overcoming the crisis.