This article provides an overview of the main currents of French Catholic traditionalism. Chronologically, the first movement of Catholic conservatives to break with the official hierarchy was the "Little Church"—communities that emerged during the French Revolution. These communities found unacceptable the oath of allegiance to the state required of the clergy, and subsequently the terms of the concordat concluded between Napoleon and the Papacy. They lost their priesthood in the 19th century after the death of their last priests and transformed into communities akin to the priestless Old Believer communities. In the 20th century, several associations of Catholic traditionalists emerged in response to the rejection of the decisions of the Second Vatican Council. The most famous and numerous is the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. In addition, there is the Sedevacantist movement, which believes that the Holy See is vacant due to the apostasy of the last popes, as well as the League for Catholic Counter-Reform. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter unites those conservatives who do not wish to break unity with the Roman Catholic Church and who are permitted to celebrate the pre-reform Mass in Latin. The article also examines the specifics of the current legal status of religious associations, their members and clergy, and religious buildings in France.

Keywords: Roman Catholic Church, Christianity, Europe, France, traditionalism.

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Shakhov M.O. Catholic Traditionalists in France. Christian Schism Review, 2024, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 5–14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65324/csr001

The article tells about the history of the emergence of a large Christian denomination of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, which is the ideological follower of the socio-political and religious movement based on the reformist ideas of the Czech theologian of the 14th-15th centuries. Jan Hus. Having emerged almost simultaneously with the independent Czechoslovak state, this denomination has gone its own historical path and currently occupies a prominent place in the religious palette of Christian denominations, both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and in Eastern Europe as a whole. Throughout its history, this denomination of a reformed nature with signs of Protestantism has been quite active from the standpoint of ecumenism, as a result of which it had quite a lot of contacts with representatives of the Orthodox Church.

Keywords: Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Hussites, Jan Hus, Karel Farský, religion in the Czech Republic, theology, theology, Czech Republic.

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Bochkov P.V. Centenary historical path of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church: history of origin, doctrine and current state. Christian Schism Review, 2024, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 15–25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65324/csr002

This article analyzes the symbolism and sacred meanings of key rituals in the Old Believer tradition. The semiotic and theological meanings of key Old Believer rituals are examined. Drawing on liturgical practice, the author describes the two-fingered sign of the cross, icon veneration and the “home iconostasis,” baptism and naming, the prayer rule, fasting and prostrations, and the specifics of the liturgical cycle. It is demonstrated that Old Believer ritual functions as a semiotic system, where bodily and spatial codes (gesture, clothing, home, cemetery, and hermitage) are correlated with eschatological and soteriological meanings. The persistence of ritual symbolism in contemporary urban communities and diasporas is discussed separately. The results are based on an interdisciplinary approach (history, anthropology, religious studies, and semiotics) and are supported by field observations and recent publications. It is shown that “formal severity” functions as a strategy for Old Believers to protect their “soteriological code,” while spatial sacralization (home — prayer room — cemetery — hermitage) shapes “home liturgy” and supports the identity of the diaspora. The article’s results and conclusions are supported by sources in Russian and English, including peer-reviewed journals and academic publications.

Keywords: Old Believers, ritual, sacred, symbolism, two-fingered sign of the cross, iconostasis, liturgy, baptism, naming, sign of the cross, semiotics of religion.

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Tulsky A.P., Bochkov P.V., Chudinov A.V. Symbolism and Sacred Meaning of Rites in Old Believers’ Practice. Christian Schism Review, 2024, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 26–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65324/csr003

This article examines Bishop Tikhon (Bellavin)'s ministry in the United States as fundamental to the expansion and strengthening of the North American Orthodox community, which was characterized by its ethnic and religious diversity. The rapid growth of the Orthodox community in America at the turn of the 20th century, the internal ideological, political, and cultural fragmentation of American society, coupled with the unstable financial support of the Russian Orthodox mission, presented a serious challenge for the hierarch who had arrived from Russia. The saint selflessly focused all his efforts on integrating Orthodoxy into American culture. He strove to achieve church unity and autonomy for the diocese. Under Tikhon's leadership, the diocese was renamed the Aleutian and North American Diocese and the episcopal see was transferred to New York City — events that reflected the scale of Orthodoxy's spread across the continent. Important areas of his work are identified as resolving personnel issues (in particular, opening a theological seminary in Minneapolis), founding new parishes, building churches (for example, Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago), establishing a monastery, schools, a church archaeological museum, orphanages, brotherhoods, and other missionary and educational endeavors. Bishop Tikhon is portrayed as a true "enlightener of North America," caring, sincerely concerned for the needs of his spiritual children, and possessing a unique pastoral gift for finding common ground with diverse peoples and cultures. The first All-American Church Council, held in Mayfield in February 1907, with parish representatives, is seen as the culmination of Tikhon's archpastoral ministry. At the council, the bishop emphasized the need for autonomy for the Orthodox Church in America.

Keywords: Saint Tikhon, Orthodoxy, Alaska, USA, missionary work.

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Milovanov A.B. Features of Saint Tikhon's ministry in the American cathedra: historical, missionary and ecclesiological aspects. Christian Schism Review, 2024, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 35–44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65324/csr004

This article examines the doctrine of the "true church" in the Old Believer tradition and its connection with eschatology, ecclesiology, and the image of the "little flock." Based on an analysis of the texts of Archpriest Avvakum, the "Pomor Answers," the priestless instructions, the priestly letters of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy, and modern historiography (R. Krummi, G. Michels, R. Robson, and others), various models of understanding the church in the main Old Believer denominations—the Popovtsy, Pomortsy, Fedoseyevtsy, Filippovtsy, and others—are examined. It is shown that the Old Believer doctrine of the "true church" developed as a response to the experience of Patriarch Nikon's reforms and the councils of 1666–1667 as an eschatological turning point and the coming of the "time of the Antichrist." A typology of three "ecclesiological scenarios" is introduced: sacramental restorationism (the Popovtsy), eschatological communitarianism (moderate priestless believers), and apocalyptic radicalism (the Philippovtsy and related movements). The study's novelty lies in its examination of the image of the "little flock" not only as a traditional motif of Christian asceticism but also as a structuring principle of Old Believer identity, defining different ways of relating eschatology, the institutional form of the church, and the social practices of communities.

Keywords: Old Believers, small flock, ecclesiology, eschatology, priests, priestless, Pomors, Fedoseyevtsy, religious tradition.

For citation
Tulsky A.P. The doctrine of the "true church" in the Old Believer tradition: eschatology, ecclesiology and the image of the "little flock". Christian Schism Review, 2024, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 45–56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65324/csr005

This obituary is dedicated to the memory of the distinguished Russian religious studies scholar Anatoly Nikolaevich Leshchinsky (1941–2023), his life, and his scholarly work. A.N. Leshchinsky, who began his professional and working career as a museum worker and researcher, rose through the ranks from a senior official at the Council for Religious Affairs under the USSR Council of Ministers to the rank of State Counselor of the Russian Federation, 2nd Class, and after retirement, devoted himself entirely to religious studies. Over the course of his scholarly work, Anatoly Nikolaevich authored several hundred works on various issues of religious studies in contemporary Russia. Leshchinsky was particularly influential in the classification of church divisions in contemporary Russian Orthodoxy, becoming one of the few specialists with an understanding of the jurisdictional diversity of various Orthodox groups and communities not affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. His intense intellectual activity, passionate research, and inquisitive mind resulted in the writing of several extensive monographs devoted to Church unity and state-confessional relations. In addition to these topics, A.N. Leshchinsky had a particularly warm affection for St. Sergius of Radonezh and the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius he founded, about which he also wrote and published several works. Sadly, his death put an end to many creative and scholarly endeavors. The memory of Anatoly Nikolaevich Leshchinsky's scholarly works will forever remain in Russian religious studies, not only among scientometric databases and libraries, but also among his students, colleagues, and researchers of contemporary Russian religious diversity.

Keywords: Leszczynski, religious studies, confessional diversity, church divisions, typology, church schisms, state-confessional relations, Christianity, Orthodoxy, religion.

For citation
Bochkov P.V. In memory of Anatoly Nikolaevich Leshchinsky (1941–2023). Christian Schism Review, 2024, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 57–71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65324/csr006