On July 15, 2026, a round table "Spiritual and moral values in Russian philosophy of Law and literature" was held at the Optina Pustyn Monastery in Vvedenskoye. The event was held within the framework of the Dostoevsky Days in Optina Pustyn project and brought together more than 20 legal scholars, philosophers, theologians and historians from different regions of Russia.
Opening the meeting, Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk, Vicar of Optina Desert, noted the relationship between the Russian philosophy of law and the spiritual culture of Optina land, the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky and the modern process of Russia's acquisition of its civilizational identity.
Archpriest Timofey Fetisov, Doctor of Theology, Rector of the Don Theological Seminary, emphasized the special importance of the venue of the round table. N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky and K.N. Leontiev came to Optina Pustyn. It was here, under the impression of conversations with Elder Ambrose, that the image of Elder Zosima was formed in the novel "The Brothers Karamazov."
"Continuing and, hopefully, reviving this tradition in some sense, we have gathered to talk about things that today have ceased to be the subject of abstract scientific discussions and have become existential issues on which the existence of our Fatherland depends," Father Timofey said.
Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Law, Professor Sergey Baburin devoted his speech to overcoming the moral neutrality of public authorities as a necessary condition for preserving Russian civilizational identity.
The central report of the plenary session was a speech by Archpriest Timofey Fetisov "Theocentric sense of justice in the works of F.M. Dostoevsky." The speaker showed the fundamental importance of the writer's Christian worldview for understanding Russian legal consciousness. In Dostoevsky's work, truth as love is inseparable from truth as justice, and the gospel ideal becomes the highest criterion for evaluating earthly law.
The moderator of the round table, the vice-rector of the Don Theological Seminary for scientific work, Doctor of Law, Professor, Priest Alexy Ovchinnikov, presented a report on the ideas of legal theology in the Russian philosophy of law. He drew attention to the need to return the theological approach to modern scientific discourse and emphasized the Christian foundations of such legal categories as individual freedom, dignity and equality before the law.
During the meeting, Igor Ivanishko, a teacher at the Don Theological Seminary, head of the Department of Expertise and Socio-humanitarian Research at the Patriarchal Commission for Family, Motherhood and Childhood Protection, Archpriest Gennady Zaridze, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Orthodox Scientists, and other participants also spoke.
The reports were devoted to the relationship between church and state law, the importance of the patristic heritage for the formation of the legal ideals of Russian society, the relationship between the Christian faith and the principles of government, as well as the preservation of traditional spiritual and moral values.
Following the results of the round table, a resolution was prepared that combined the main proposals of the participants on improving domestic legislation and protecting traditional values. The document has been sent to government agencies and scientific and educational centers.
The participants also decided to hold such meetings in Optina Pustyn annually in order to promote the development of a dialogue between Orthodox jurists, theologians and state experts.