Over half of Russians for more active role of Church in society

Almost half of the Russians (47%) would like the Church to influence more actively the spiritual life of society, while another 29% would like the Church to confine its activity purely to religious ceremonies and rituals.

This is the result of the poll, as reported to the Interfax new agency, conducted in April amongst 1,600 from 153 communities of 46 Russian regions by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Studies (VTsIOM).

According to the poll’s findings, there is no unanimity in Russian society about the role of Orthodoxy in the life of the country. Only 1% of the respondents adhere to the most ‘politically correct’ point of view whereby ‘Orthodoxy is only one of the religious confessions found in Russia, and it should have the same rights as others’, while 53% of respondents insist on the unique role of the Orthodoxy.

At the same time, 35% believe Orthodoxy should enjoy ‘special rights’ in Russian society, since it is the most popular confession among the Russian people. Moreover, 18% hold an even more radical view whereby Orthodoxy should have not just ‘special rights and special role’ but become the pivot of Russian statehood.