Church and Secular Authority

Introduction

In the XIX - early XX centuries the secular world began to gradually move away from the Church, and therefore Christian denominations experienced difficulties, since the Church needed to find its place in a changing society, comprehend the new time and solve various religious issues. And the Church was to be “renewed” and solve the old tasks in a new way. Various social and political forces could not leave the Church without attention, since the Orthodox Church was too important, especially since the solution of a huge issue for the future of the country - the abolition of serfdom - was put into practice. In the process of peasant reform, the Church’s calls for respect for each other’s people, for mercy, for honest work, preaching about the “contrariness” of slavery were voiced with increased strength — such was the Church’s centuries-old activity in educating Russian people. The judgments were contradictory, but everyone believed that the Orthodox Church was necessary for Russian society, and the future of Russia would be unthinkable without it.

In the 19th century, the Orthodox Church was an instrument of state policy, an institution that merged with state structures. The Church was ruled by the Holy Synod and the spiritual consistories. Although the Synod was the executive branch and did not have legislative initiative, it issued decrees that the ecclesiastical departments were required to fulfill.

The composition of the Synod changed, but in the XIX - early XX centuries. it included 10 bishops representing the black clergy, as well as the confessor of the emperor and the main priest of the army and navy, who were representatives of the white clergy. Some members of the Synod were permanent, who were required to attend all meetings of the Synod: for example, the confessor of the emperor, the main priest of the army and navy, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg; the provisional members took part in the meetings of the Synod in turn, once or twice a year. The bishops led the spiritual consistories, they were appointed by the Synod and confirmed by the emperor. The bishop, together with the spiritual consistory and with the support of the deans - senior priests in the diocese - exercised administration and judgment. The members of the clerical consistory were representatives of the white and black clergy, who were elected by the bishop, and the bishops appointed deaneries and approved the consistory. In the consistories, the white clergy were better represented than in the Synod: in 1801, parish priests comprised 38% of the consistory, and in the 1860s. - 79%.

The chief prosecutor, who was appointed by the emperor from secular persons, supervised the work of the Synod. But the control of the chief public prosecutor was superficial, and therefore the spiritual consistories controlled themselves. The development of the institute of public prosecutor’s office can be divided into two phases: the first - from the day it was established until 1803, the second phase began in 1817 and lasted until 1903–1917, i.e. until the end of the synodal period, this was a transitional time for the public prosecutor's office. Until 1803, the influence of the chief prosecutor did not have a decisive role in the activities of the Synod, which was in direct connection with the sovereign himself. The monasteries were ruled by the monks themselves. By the beginning of the reign of Alexander I, the Synod consisted of 5 representatives of the black clergy. This composition was established by Catherine II and did not change under Paul I.

But still, the chief prosecutor began to restore order in the synodal administration. On October 21, 1803, A.N. Golitsyn took the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Synod. Despite a superficial understanding of the life of the church in Russia, knyaz' (prince) A.N. Golitsyn was able to arouse respect and trust of the members of the Synod. The bishops did not dare to speak out against a friend of the emperor's youth. To strengthen A.N. Golitsyn’s power in the Synod, a new instruction of the chief prosecutor was approved. According to the new instruction, the chief prosecutor was obliged not only to hold, open and close the meetings of the Synod, not only to announce to the clergy present the decrees of the emperor that were already contained in the previous instructions, but also to personally supervise the fulfillment of the will of the emperor.