On October 18, the second open dialogue of the cycle "The Spiritual Meaning of the Russian Autocracy: from St. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky to Emperor Nicholas II" took place at the Moscow Theological Academy in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. The meeting was dedicated to the tsarist period of Russian history — from John the Terrible to Peter I.
Representatives of the clergy, historians and journalists discussed the formation of the Russian Empire, the relationship between Church and state power, overcoming the Troubles and the transition to the imperial era. The moderator was Alexander Afanasyev, a TV presenter and war correspondent for the Spas TV channel.
One of the central themes was the idea of "Moscow — the Third Rome". The participants considered its significance for understanding the role of Russia as the guardian of the Orthodox faith. Special attention was paid to the wedding of John IV to the kingdom, the establishment of the Patriarchate, and the culture of the 17th century, which linked the ancient Russian tradition with the era of Peter the Great's transformations.
Moscow State University Professor Sergey Perevezentsev spoke about the Orthodox faith as the basis of the unity of the estates in Russia in the XVI–XVII centuries. According to him, the troubles became a test for the autocracy, and the desire of the people's militia to elect a king "with the whole earth" testified to the importance of this form of power for the society of that time.
Summing up, Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk turned to the concept of a symphony of authorities — the concordant service of the Church and the state with the difference of their vocations. An important topic of the meeting was the understanding of the tsarist government as a spiritual responsibility for preserving faith and serving the people.
Among the organizers of the dialogue are the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, the Christian Mercy Foundation, the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Optina Pustyn, the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery of Mercy and the Spas TV channel. The cycle is timed to coincide with the upcoming 145th anniversary of the IOPS, which will be celebrated in June 2027.
The first meeting took place in the summer in Optina Pustyn and was dedicated to the princely period. The third and final dialogue on the Imperial era will take place on November 21-22 at the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.