Eastern Christianity and the Cold War, 1945-91

Edited by Lucian Leustean

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About the Book

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics between Eastern Christianity and politics from the end of the Second World War to the fall of communism, covering all the different orthodox churches, both those inside the communist bloc and those outside it, including diasporic churches in Africa, Asia, America and Australia. It surveys the interplay between church and state, and explains how societies have been affected by their religious background and the political evolution of the Cold War. Based on extensive original research in recently opened archival resources, the book challenges the general perception that churches were weakened by the communist leadership and argues that religion played a major role in defining national politics. It analyses church-state relations in communist countries and outside the Iron Curtain examining the following main themes: the relationship between Orthodox churches and political power; religious resistance to communism; the political control of churches; religion and propaganda; monasticism and theological publications; religious diplomacy within the Orthodox commonwealth; and religious contacts between East and West.

Table of Contents

Introduction Lucian Leustean, UK Part 1: Eastern Christianity behind the Iron Curtain 1. The Russian Orthodox Church Nickolas Lupinin 2. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church Daniela Kalkandjieva 3. The Romanian Orthodox Church Lucian N. Leustean 4. The Serbian Orthodox Church Klaus Buchenau 5. The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church Stephen F. Jones 6. The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Zenon V. Wasyliw 7. The Albanian Orthodox Church Nicholas C. Pano 8. The Polish Orthodox Church Edward Wynot 9. The Czechoslovak Orthodox Church Tomáš Havlícek 10. The Macedonian Orthodox Church Philip Shasko 11. The Armenian Apostolic Church Felix Corley Part 2: Eastern Christianity outside the Iron Curtain 12. The Patriarchate of Constantinople Paschalis Kitromilides 13. The Orthodox Church of Greece Vasilios Makrides 14. The Cypriot Orthodox Church Victor Roudometof 15. The Finnish Orthodox Church Teuvo Laitla 16. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tawehedo Church Steve Kaplan 17. Eastern Christianity in the Middle East Anthony O’Mahony 18. Eastern Christian Diaspora Andrew Louth Bibliography Annexes

About the Author(s)

Lucian Leustean is Lecturer in International Relations at Aston University, Birmingham, UK.