The role of the Russian Orthodox Church in contemporary Russian society is subject to increasing interest both in Russia and among foreign scholars. As Russias communist past gradually becomes more distant, religion, and most notably Orthodoxy, seems to amplify its presence in the public sphere. In sharp contrast to the Soviet regimes suppression of all kinds of religious activities, the Russian state now seems to welcome a closer relationship with the Church, at least on the symbolic level. In this book I discuss perceptions of the constitutional separation between state and ...