STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHURCH AFTER THE END OF KHRUSHCHEV’S PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE MINISTRY OF ARCHBISHOP PAVEL (GOLYSHEV) AT THE NOVOSIBIRSK DIOCESE IN 1964-1972)
This paper is to outline little-known facts from the history of Novosibirsk diocese concerning the struggle of Archbishop Pavel (Golyshev) for the rights of the Church. At present, there is a lack of information in historical and local history literature about the period of his ministry at the Novosibirsk pulpit except for the references to Bishop Pavel as a good preacher and defender of Orthodoxy. The activities of Archbishop Paul are of particular interest to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, not only because his active work and independence caused a negative reaction from the authorized representatives of the Council for Religious Affairs, but also because he dared to resist the decision of the Bishop’s Council of 1961 on parishes, pointed to the need for the election of Patriarch by a secret ballot and for bishops’ independence from any control by the Council for Church Affairs, which was in those times outrageous dissent. A number of sources have been used in the article: documents from the State Archive of Novosibirsk Region (Stock of the Authorized Council on the Russian Orthodox Church) and the personnel file of Archbishop Pavel (from the State Archive of Russian Federation), memoirs of Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein) and Novosibirsk archpriest Pavel Patrin, research materials of the historian S. S. Bychkov and others. The author has found out what actions of the Archbishop caused animosity with the state authorities: attracting young people to work in the diocesan administration and to serve as sub-deacons, “intervening” of the bishop in the parishes’ affairs, a large number of monastic tonsure, replacing elderly priests with young and educated, frequent trips of the bishop within the diocese and initiating of petitions for opening churches. The author analyzes complaints against Vladyka Pavel about financial irregularities in the activities of the diocesan administration and provides evidences of an attempt to poison the Archbishop in order to prevent his participation in the Local Council of 1971, and also the circumstances under which Archbishop Pavel was removed from the administration of the Novosibirsk diocese and subsequently transferred to the Vologda diocese are given here.