The reception of the Council of Moscow in Russia

This article examines the reception of the Moscow Council of 1917-1918 within the Russian Orthodox Church, from its interruption by the Bolshevik Revolution to the contemporary period. Drawing on historical and ecclesiological study, it analyzes the extent to which the conciliar reforms were effectively implemented or, conversely, abandoned. The author argues that three decisions played a decisive role in the survival of the Church under the Soviet regime: the restoration of conciliar practice, the revalorization of the parish as a living community involving laypeople, and the restoration of the patriarchate. The article's contribution lies in a critical and nuanced assessment of this legacy: while the memory of the Council is officially honored and its study encouraged, its decisions — with the exception of the restoration of the patriarchate — remain largely unimplemented in the current structures of the Moscow Patriarchate.