Independence or Autonomy?: The Russian Orthodox Church in the Baltics and Finland during the Civil War

• In Event: Breaking the Mold: New Research on the Civil War in the Baltics, Finland and Petrograd, 1919-1923

Abstract

With the collapse of the Russian Empire and the new states in the Baltics and Finland sought their independence, the question also arose concerning the independence of their Orthodox Churches from Moscow. This paper will follow the complex negotiations between local Orthodox clergy and believers, the new states, and Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow. Although there were some general similarities between the four cases, each case also had differences in the ethnic make-up of local Orthodox believers as well as the intensity of pressures to break any ties with Moscow. The patriarch was willing to grant broad autonomy but reluctant to grant complete autocephaly (independence) to the new churches. In the end, the Orthodox Churches in Lithuania and Latvia remained under Moscow, while those in Estonia and Finland transferred their allegiance to Constantinople while Patriarch Tikhon was under arrest in 1923.

Author

• Scott M. Kenworthy, Miami U of Ohio