PRIEST VASILIY LOSEV ON THE LEGAL STATUS OF A CLERGY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHtranslated

The Russian Constitution establishes that the Russian Federation is a secular state, and no religion can be established as state or compulsory. Religious associations are separated from the state and are equal before the law.

Sometimes, unfortunately, this norm is interpreted as a denial of the participation of the Church and clergy in the public life of the state. This interpretation cannot be called correct! The state, along with the internal regulations of the Church, carries out legal regulation of the exercise by citizens of the right to freedom of religion and the activities of religious associations.

This is precisely due to the fact that religious associations have historically been institutions of civil society in Russia and participate in public relations. The principle of historical succession of our state appeared in the Constitution of 2022. He refers us to the thousand-year history of the formation of our Fatherland: “The Russian Federation, united by a thousand-year history, preserving the memory of our ancestors who passed on to us the ideals and faith in God, as well as the continuity in the development of the Russian state, recognizes the historically established state unity.” This highlights the deep historical roots...