Orthodoxy and Nationalism in Eastern Europe
February 10, 2008 7:30 am Religion and NationalismJeremy Bransten, Religion and Tolerance, RFE/RL, October 26, 2004
Many of the countries in which the Orthodox Church has a significant following were devastated by communism and by the interethnic conflicts that followed its collapse. Some say the church is uniquely poised to help these societies rebuild, but others question whether Orthodoxy itself — and its historical ties to nationalism — may be part of the problem. In this first of a two-part series on the Orthodox Church, RFE/RL examines this unique link between church and state.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksii II accuses the Vatican of “stealing souls” on its territory.
A leading bishop in Russia denounces the import of Western human rights values as an “alien concept.”
In Serbia, the Orthodox clergy rallies behind ultranationalist politicians. A senior churchman rails against the West’s “devilish lust for power.” Another calls for the creation of a “Greater Serbia.”
Are these isolated examples of the abuse of faith, or is there a natural — and sometimes toxic — link between Orthodoxy and nationalism?