Publishing activities of the Moscow patriarchate in the USSR (1940 - 1980s)

Introduction. The article examines the publishing activities of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USSR in the 1940s-1980s. A certain place is given to the background of the creation of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate and the principles that guided the publishing policy of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Soviet period. In connection with the new historical conditions, the process of formation of the Church-historical concept is shown, according to which the Orthodox Church was transformed from an institution loyal to the Soviet power into an organization that fully supports and approves of the Soviet system. Only under these conditions was the Orthodox Church in the USSR able to publish a number of periodicals and books, although its publishing activities were limited by strict censorship. Research methods. The work is based on the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity. In the course of studying and generalizing the material, problem-chronological and comparative-historical research methods are also used.