Anti-Catholicism оn the Pages of the Journals of the Theological Academies of the Russian Empire in the Second Half of the 19th – early 20th Centuries

Abstract

The article examines the main trends of anti-Catholic polemics in the journals of theological academies in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th ‒ early 20th centuries. The study aims to analyze three categories of texts (historical writings, texts addressing foreign and domestic political issues) and the inherent specifics of anti-Catholic polemics. The authors who wrote about significant events in the history of the churches tried to keep a neutral tone, with rare critical remarks embedded within historical narratives. In contrast, the articles dis-cussing contemporary foreign and domestic political affairs were far more polemical. Among external events, the reforms adopted by the Catholic Church in the second half of the 19th century were particularly debated, along with the Old Catholic movement and the figure of Pope Leo XIII. In discussions of domestic political events, particular attention was paid to the western regions of the Russian Empire. One of the key “anti-Catholic” polemical tools employed in these journals was “anti-Jesuitism”. Events that authors sought to portray in a bad light were frequently attributed to Jesuit influence. The widespread notion of “Immoral Jesuit morality” was used to criticize contemporary Catholic authors who drew upon Jesuit intellectual traditions. Through the “anti-Jesuit” lens, both the Polish Uprising of 1863‒1864 and the “Polish question” were considered.