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The article is focused on the goals and circumstances of the restoring of the French university in Strasbourg in the context of the return of Alsace after the First World War, in particular, on the activities of two theological faculties – Catholic and Protestant. The activities of the renewed University of Strasbourg that represented the widest range of higher education programs in France due to the theological faculties, as well as its development during the whole interwar period were considered by the French authorities as an important part of the realization of the concept of “the French Alsace” and, so, of the entire French national idea. The particularities of the political role of the University of Strasbourg are discovered in the article by its characteristics as a self-regulated system on the base of special leaflets and periodical editions. The university opening report (1919), the reports on results of the scientific papers’ competitions (1921, 1922), the university guide for the foreign students (1922), the book dedicated to the history of protestant higher education in Strasbourg (1923), the overviews of the German press that were published in Strasbourg (early 1920s), the special issue of the newspaper «French Alsace» (1927) and the program of courses on the faculty of Protestant theology (1938) are among the analyzed sources. In addition to the listed materials, there are historical works on interwar University of Strasbourg represented by the special issue of the faculty of Catholic theology journal, published for the 50 years anniversary of its reopening, as well as several other articles.

The article is devoted to the transformation of confessional images into national ones in German visual journalism during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). This is most clearly seen in a unique German monument from the Thirty Years' War era - illustrated single-leaf woodcuts on which images were combined with text below. The engravings of the illustrated single-leaf woodcuts reflected all the most pressing processes and events of the early modern period, including the crisis of religious consciousness and the collapse of the idea of a “universal monarchy” - a single Christian state under the auspices of the Holy Roman Emperor. During the era of the Thirty Years' War, politics could not be imagined without religion, and religious motives were not separated from political ones. The Thirty Years' War, which turned into the first pan-European catastrophe, became a new step in the secularization of consciousness, which contributed to the metamorphosis of political teachings of the 17th century. The Thirty Years' War, which turned into the first pan-European catastrophe, became a new step in the secularization of consciousness, which contributed to the metamorphosis of political teachings of the 17th century. The gap between politics and religion that began at this time was expressed, among other things, in the emergence of the idea of the nation as one of the leading leitmotifs of state development. National consciousness gradually turned into a kind of foundation for politics. During the era of the Thirty Years' War, this was reflected in the interpretation of Christian symbols and confessional images in visual media. In illustrated single-leaf woodcuts, they were increasingly associated with claims to the uniqueness of one’s own nation and the need for state sovereignty. Traditional religious meanings and motives were used to create images of both national heroes and “anti-heroes” - enemies of the state and nation

Статья посвящена истории трансформации в течение XIX – начала XX в. отношения православного духовенства и публицистов к фигуре католического мученика Андрея Боболи – иезуита, убитого в середине XVII в. православными казаками. Показывается, что в первой половине указанного периода (до 1850-х гг.) почитание святого носило «трансконфессиональный» характер. Некоторые представители образованных православных кругов: архиепископ Василий (Лужинский), епископ Даниил (Натток-Михайловский), К. А. Говорский – склонялись к правдивости зародившейся еще в XVIII в. в Пинске легенды, согласно которой святой был не иезуитом, убитым православными, а православным мучеником, убитым католиками. Рассматриваются причины, вызвавшие изменение отношения к Андрею Боболе в 1850-х – 1860-х гг. Прослеживается тенденция упадка доверия к легенде о «православном Боболе», результатом чего стала оценка православными его культа как инструмента в руках враждебных церкви и России сил. Раскрывается процесс формирования альтернативной православной версии жизнеописания Андрея Боболи, в рамках которого признается принадлежность святого к католицизму, однако сам он воспринимается как подобие св. Иосафата Кунцевича: «душехват», убийца и гонитель православия. Своими поступками, по мнению православных авторов, он заслужил трагический финал. Финансирование Статья подготовлена при финансовой поддержке Российского научного фонда (проект No 21-48-04402: «RSF-DFG: Cвятые и герои: От христианизации к национализму. Символ, Образ, Память (Северо-Западная Россия, страны Балтии и Северной Европы)»). Статья поступила в редакцию 09.10.2023. Рецензирование завершено 15.06.2024. Статья принята к публикации 24.09.2024. Цитирование Короневский В. И. Православие и культ католического святого Андрея Боболи в XIX – начале XX в. // Славянский альманах. 2024. No 3–4. С. 376–393. DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2024.3-4.20

Studying Pope Francis' influence on public opinion in European Union countries in the context of national resilience is a pressing research question. Although the Pope enjoys high moral authority among Europeans, a comprehensive analysis of his role in shaping societal positions, particularly on security and defense issues, is lacking. Investigating this problem enables a deeper understanding of the religious factor's role in strengthening European unity, countering destructive influences. The research materials include Pope Francis' public speeches and statements, primarily those circulated through mass media and social networks, as well as sociological survey results on the EU public's perception of the pontiff's position on crucial socio-political issues. Content analysis methods are used to examine the content and tone of the Pope's messages, while comparative analysis of sociological research data identifies correlations between the Pope's rhetoric and shifts in public sentiment regarding national resilience. The results show that despite Pope Francis' high popularity in EU countries, where the vast majority of the population approves of the pontiff, his public statements have a limited and short-lived impact on public opinion. Empirical evidence indicates that most Europeans do not consider the Pope a decisive factor in shaping their views on various socio-political problems, such as nuclear disarmament, migration, pandemics, or basic income. The Pope's pacifist stance on war, a topic of discussion in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, is not a determining factor that risks critically undermining the personnel and motivation of EU countries' armed forces. The population's willingness to defend their homeland militarily varies significantly among EU states and is influenced by a complex interplay of historical, geopolitical, and socio-cultural factors that outweigh the pontiff's religious rhetoric. In conclusion, while papal pacifism somewhat resonates with the anti-war sentiments of some Europeans, it does not pose major challenges to ensuring the defense capabilities and resilience of EU countries. Pope Francis' high moral authority does not automatically translate into a dominant influence on public opinion and societal attitudes regarding national security in European Union member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Documents from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archives and the National Historical Archives of Belarus are considered for publication, shedding light on the discussion of history that unfolded in the highest circles of representatives of the Russian Empire in 1909–1910 about the remains of Jesuit Andrew Bobola, revered by Catholics as a holy, kept in the Dominican church of Polotsk. Actualization of the Bobola problem, whose history went back to its origins at the beginning of the 19th century, was dangerous with the preparation of the transfer of the relics of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The cult of Andrew Bobola has long been used by Polotsk Dominicans to lure the Orthodox inhabitants of Polotsk into Catholicism, so the church and secular authorities of the Russian Empire feared that by appealing to the figure of Bobola, Catholics might try to spoil the ceremony of transferring the relics of St. Euphrosyne and use a great Orthodox celebration to promote their faith. In this regard, the question was raised about the fate of the remains of Andrew Bobola. Some officials believed that it would make sense to take the Catholic relic outside of Polotsk (for example, to Pinsk). However, the milder version prevailed. It was decided not to touch the remains of Bobola, so as not to give Catholics an extra reason for propaganda and exaltation of him as a saint. The following documents are published: presentation of the Vitebsk Governor B.B. Gershau-Flotov addressed to the Minister of Internal Affairs P.A. Stolypin on the desirability of transferring the Catholic relic from Polotsk; a fragment of the most obedient report on the state of the Vitebsk province for 1908, in which the same idea is defended; the initial response of the Minister of the Interior to B.B. Gershau-Flotov; minutes of a meeting of a special meeting convened on the initiative of Nicholas II and designed to decide the fate of Bobola's remains.

The position of the Vatican regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, its influence on international politics, and internal processes in Ukraine are being studied. The research examines the Vatican's diplomatic approach, which seeks to maintain neutrality and promote dialogue between the conflicting parties. An analysis of Vatican statements regarding the war in Ukraine, reactions to them from other countries and Ukrainian society has been conducted. The study investigates the reasons behind the Vatican's position, such as the Catholic Church's pacifist doctrine, the desire to avoid unequivocal assessments, and the influence of Pope Francis's personal background and ideological views. The research also aims to clarify Pope Francis's influence on the internal political situation in Ukraine. Research period: 2014-2024, with a focus on two stages: 2014-2022 (hybrid war and local conflict); 2022-2024 (full-scale war). Main research results: The Vatican avoids calling RF as an aggressor and does not condemn its actions. Pope Francis seeks reconciliation and proposes that the conflicting parties sit down for negotiations. The Vatican's position on the Russian-Ukrainian war is based on Catholic dogma, where evil does not have a substantive nature; the general tendency in the Catholic Church towards forgiveness, laid down by John Paul II, and pacifism. The research reveals that the Vatican's stance has faced criticism from both Western countries and Ukrainian society, as it is perceived as equating the aggressor with the victim. The Vatican does not have a significant influence on the decisions of world states. The position of the Bishop of Rome may influence public opinion in countries with a high level of religiosity. In Ukraine, the Vatican's position does not have considerable support from the Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic communities, and generally from Ukrainian citizens. The Vatican's position on the Russian-Ukrainian war is amorphous because it does not contain a clear moral assessment and equates the aggressor with the victim; therefore, criminal actions are condemned, but not their cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyze the features of interconfessional interaction of the Romaioi, Franks, and Venetians in the Peloponnesos in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, from the Latin invasion to the period when certain traditions of interconfessional communication between the conquerors and the Romaioi developed. Using the accounts of the Chronicle of the Moraia, resolutions of the Venetian Senate, Venetian private-law documents, as well as Byzantine historical (George Akropolites, George Pachymeres, John VI Kantakouzenos), polemical (John VI Kantakouzenos), and epistolary (Gregory Akindynos) writings, the article has analyzed the features of Greek-Latin contacts in the religious sphere, the nature of the contradictions between the Orthodox and the Catholics, the cases of change of confession and combined worship, considering the incidence of the said phenomena. The con- clusion is that the gateway to the long-term and relatively peaceful coexistence of the Greeks and Latins in the Peloponnesos was the Latins’ loyal policy towards the other-believers performed from the moment they initially appeared on the peninsula. In case of the biggest part of the Greek-Latin population of the Moraia, their relations with neighbours were most often of a compromise nature. Peaceful forms of inter- confessional contacts between the Latins and the Romaioi were more common than open conflicts on religious grounds. The arousing conflicts were generally associated with the actions of specific figures of strangers who represented the central government, and often had a pronounced political colouring.

A characteristic feature of the contribution made by the Dominican theologian Yves Congar to the Catholic thought of the 20th century is the distinct ecumenical openness of the researcher, his theological inclusiveness, his concern for the life of the Church in the modern world, and his prophetic reformist pathos, which were quite naturally combined together with Congar's deep knowledge and appreciation of the most profound and most valuable layers of the ancient Christian tradition of the undivided Church's era. The article is based on a detailed review of three basic treatises by Yves Congar in which the author elaborates his ecumenically oriented program of implementing effective and at the same time safe reforms in the Church: (1) Chrétiens désunis: Principes d'un "oecuménisme" catholique, (2) Vraie et fausse réforme dans l'Église, and (3) a two-volume study La Tradition et les traditions (Vol. 1: La Tradition et les traditions: essai historique; Vol. 2: La Tradition et les traditions: essai théologique). The relevance and topicality of this research for the sphere of Ukrainian religious life is determined by numerous crisis phenomena in the life of contemporary traditional Christian denominations, their vague forms of self-understanding and self-presentation, unconvincing rhetoric in communication with a deeply secular world, as well as not always successful and effective horizontal network interaction with the newly emerging full-fledged civil society of Ukraine. Therefore, this study can become an important and appropriate attempt to popularize and emphasize one of the most ambitious, comprehensive, and ultimately quite successful attempts of the 20th century Church renovation projects, which can be laid as a basis for the process of forming a renewed theological mentality of contemporary Ukrainian Christian communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urgency of the research. In the first half of the 20th century the world-renowned specialist in Thomism Réginald GarrigouLagrange became the one who threw a public intellectual challenge to the most prominent bearers of the modernist philosophical mentality, namely, Henri Bergson (the doctrine of fluid metaphysics) and Maurice Blondel (the dynamic philosophy of action). Today, when we hear more and more often about the final and irreversible onset of the post-metaphysical age, it seems appropriate to recall how convincingly less than a hundred years ago classical Thomistic metaphysics refuted the most powerful and influential philosophical trends which today had totally lost their previous relevance and can be regarded as merely an object of study for historians of philosophy. Target setting. The analysis of modern Ukrainian studies in the field of scholasticism, neo-scholasticism, and, in particular, the Thomist tradition, has illustrated a difficult-to-explain problem regarding the fact that an interested Ukrainian researcher nowadays is barely able to find at least some information about the history of polemics, metaphysics, and epistemology of R. Garrigou-Lagrange, one of the most significant thinkers in the realm of the neo-scholastic tradition of the previous century. Therefore, filling this lacuna seems to be an urgent and necessary issue. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The research is based on the analysis of some works by GarrigouLagrange himself and treatises by the philosophical opponents of the prominent Dominican priest, as well as on the in-depth study of the researches made by following thinkers and scholars: É. Gilson, G. McCool, F. Kerr, R. Peddicord, J. Kirwan, and M. Minerd. The research objective. The main goal of the article is to highlight the polemical philosophical moves of GarrigouLagrange, as well as to emphasize the role of Aquinas’s synthesis as a highly effective and irremovable theoretical framework for dismantling metaphysically weak philosophical programs. The statement of basic materials. H. Bergson did not associate himself with the Church at all, and M. Blondel was a sincere and devout Catholic, but both of them barely knew enough about the basic essentials of the Thomist tradition. For Bergson the concepts of discursive intelligence were not related to being; their function was merely practical. Instead, Blondel’s philosophy was formed in a pushback from (1) post-Kantian idealism with its highly radical anti-metaphysicalism and skepticism concerning the human possibility of knowing external, extramental entities (“things in themselves”), as well as (2) from Friedrich Schleiermacher’s pessimism about the capacity of the speculative mind to know God and his emphasis on the fundamental importance of subjective religious sensibility. Conclusions. It has been established that Garrigou-Lagrange’s sincere devotion to Thomistic canons of thought did not prevent the theologian from indirectly, episodically, and implicitly relying on sources that are not characteristic of the Thomist tradition. Now it is difficult to deny that Garrigou-Lagrange’s philosophical and theological concept is brilliantly thought out, strictly logical, internally consistent, and precisely in view of all the mentioned factors, his concept is rationally more acceptable than any form of intuitionism, phenomenological reduction, and philosophy of life with a revision of the traditional understanding of truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis of a reaffirmation of St. Thomas Aquinas's synthesis as the only non-alternative form of authentic Catholic philosophizing in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the light of the papal encyclicals Aeterni Patris and Studiorum Ducem, the author has carried out an overview of the basic motives for the canonization of Aquinas' conceptual system which initially had been vied upon by Popes as an intellectual antidote against the intoxicating mistakes of Modernity for protecting the Church's official teaching. However, it is also shown in the paper that the neo-scholastic project contained not only an oppositional mentality and negative self-identification based on the critical repulsion from the age of Modernity, but it also had a powerful previously undisclosed heuristic potential as well. This claim is substantiated by the revealed thematic diversity, ideological plurality, and teleological goal-setting of neo-Thomism's various forms and subdivided branches. The diversiform neo-Thomist intellectual project proves the existence of its rather elastic doctrinal boundaries which enable the movement's capability of preserving relevance and openness to the contemporary intellectual challenges without removing its core historical doctrinal frame. It is also noted that the multiplicity of forms of neo-Thomism primarily emerged due to the posting of various epistemological issues as a primary basis. As a result, this methodological approach artificially increased the number of starting points for further philosophical explorations within the neo-Thomist project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Martin Luther creats a new form of Christianity which is suitable for the person the belongs to the culture of the modern period. His understanding of Christianity does not imply human freedom, the symbolism of the Sacraments, or the mystery of God’s incarnation. This article analyses the advantages and disadvantages of explicating the new image of Christianity, primarily in the liberal and dialectical theology of Protestantism, as well as in the theologically oriented phenomenology of religion in connection with the apology of ancient and mediaeval understanding of religion in the present-day Orthodox and Catholic theology and in Russian religious philosophy. Aware of the scale of the task, we only claim to defi ne attitudes in which it is possible to compare theological traditions scientifi cally and objectively, rather than solve them. We believe that the main direction of Protestant theological thought of the 19th and 20th centuries should be characterised as a consistent dissociation from the ancient and mediaeval understanding of religion and the establishment of a modern religious paradigm. We will try to substantiate this thesis within the framework of the transformation of the image of Luther in the liberal theology of A. Harnack, in the phenomenology of religion of R. Otto and F. Hailer, and in the dialectical theology of K. Barth. The continuity with Luther’s theology of these traditions is determined primarily by the attitude towards the ideal of faith and religion, which, on the one hand, meets the criteria of culture of the modern period and, on the other hand, shapes them. We discover the inner, organic unity and kinship in interpreting Luther’s image in liberal, dialectical theology and in Protestant religious phenomenology. Objecting to Protestant theologians, we believe that it is more relevant to argue that Luther contributed to the transformation of the mediaeval model of Christianity into that of the modern period rather than “reduced” Christianity ot destroyed the “syncretism” of Catholicism.

Interreligious dialogue at the modern stage is understood as a positive, constructive interaction between followers of diff erent religions, which is carried out on a regular basis. The beginning of the modern stage of interreligious dialogue is the World Parliament of Religions of 1893 in Chicago. The Second World War had a great impact on humanity in various aspects, including the fact that its end can be associated with the beginning of another period of interreligious dialogue. A great impetus to the development of interreligious dialogue was given by the Second Vatican Council and the adoption of the declaration Nostra aetate of 1965, dedicated to the attitude towards non-Christian religions. During this period, interreligious dialogue develops within the framework of two main thematic areas. The fi rst of them, which was emphasised by the Catholic Church, was to understand dialogue as a mutual study of diff erent religions, comparing their ideas and religious experience. The second direction was a dialogue with the aim of peacemaking, confl ict resolution and strengthening social harmony. Special attention is paid to the interreligious dialogue in the USSR, which can be attributed to the second of these areas. In recent decades, interreligious dialogue has been actively developing, which is expressed in the cooperation of believers not only in strengthening peace, but in various spheres, e.g. humanitarian, social, educational, environmental. The main factors contributing to the development of interreligious dialogue in each of these periods are identifi ed in the article. For example, among the factors of the last period of interreligious dialogue, which began after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the author highlights the following: the problem of the spread of terrorism under religious slogans, the discourse of a “clash of civilisations”, the increasing interdependence and interconnection of the modern world, post-secularism.

У статті вперше в дослідницькій літературі здійснено систематичний аналіз доробку викладачів і вихованців Київської духовної академії другої половини ХІХ – початку ХХ ст. з історії конфесійної взаємодії християнських релігійних традицій на українських землях. З’ясовано суспільно-політичну обумовленість вивчення київськими духовно-академічними істориками конфесійної історії, що полягала в злободенності «польського питання» у середині ХІХ ст. – на початку ХХ ст. Виявлено характерні особливості розгляду київськими істориками і богословами явища міжконфесійної взаємодії у XV–XVIII cт., що виражено у спробах представити багатоаспектні оповіді про співіснування трьох конфесій, всебічно розглянути феномен церковної унії, витлумачити конфесійну взаємодію у політико-правовій площині, надати історичним інтерпретаціям історіософське підґрунтя. У розвідках духовно-академічних дослідників зауважено тенденцію відійти від усталеного в офіційній російській історіографії ХІХ ст. погляду на історію міжконфесійних відносини в Україні крізь призму жорсткого протистояння та відтворити в українському релігійному житті події міжконфесійного діалогу.

Доказывается, что британский евроскептицизм является не просто следствием особенностей текущей политической конъюнктуры, а результатом многовекового специфического отношения Великобритании к Европе как к иному, отличному во многих смыслах от Соединенного Королевства социокультурному пространству. Корни подобного отношения видятся в английской Реформации XVI в., жестко противопоставившей «британский» протестантизм «европейскому» католицизму. Приводятся примеры исторических событий, усугубивших этот религиозный и культурный разлом. В итоге британское видение европейцев как людей с другим укладом жизни, иными привычками и традициями, разделяемое политическими элитами, вылилось в скептическое отношение к европейской интеграции и участию в ней Великобритании. В доказательство видения Европы как «Другого» политическими элитами Соединенного Королевства приводятся высказывания известных британских политиков, касающиеся интеграции Европы и участия в ней Великобритании. Утверждается, что британский евроскептицизм в значительной степени определяется и вдохновляется культурной исключительностью. Поэтому особое внимание уделяется анализу британского варианта культурного евроскептицизма.

The article studies religious and culture activity of Armenian clergy during pervasion of the Catholic doctrine in the Armenian ecclesiastic and educational ambiance in the XIV-XV centuries. The most authoritative thinkers of the medieval Armenia, including bishops of the Syunik region (East Armenia) and the city of Kaffa (Crimea), as well as the principal of the well-known in the educated circles Gladzor University, reflected the basic aspects of dogmatic, practical and calendar differences between the Armenian and the Latin churches in their charges. Admitting the solidarity of Christianity, which formed both the Armenian and the European cultures, the authors of the charges, nevertheless, remained to be the adherents of the idea of independence of the Armenian apostolic church. Dispute with the adherents of the Catholic doctrine gave an opportunity for the new development of the Armenian religious thought, although the authors of the letters, being the representatives of Armenian religious and culture traditions, saw a menace in Catholicism' pervasion in their ambiance for the preservation of the original Armenian culture.

The cult of Divine Mercy appeared in the first third of the 20th century in Poland and thanks to the efforts of several priests and with the support of Pope John Paul II, it became popular in many Catholic countries. The cult is associated with the figure of the catholic visionary Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938). She came from a poor family, did not receive any education (including theological), and took monasticism at the age of 21. From childhood, Faustina had visions in which Jesus Christ appeared to her. He spoke about God’s Mercy, the Chaplet of Mercy and asked his sister to help create the Image of God’s Mercy. After taking eternal vows, Faustina talks about the visions to her confessor, Fr. Michael Sopoćko, who first sends her for a psychiatric examination, and after making sure that her sister is healthy, he helps her in creating the Image. After the death of Faustina, a tradition of theology of mercy was formed within fifty years, which will become the basis of the pontificate of John Paul II. In this article, we consider only one side of the Veneration of Divine Mercy, namely the history of the creation of the Image of Jesus of Mercy from the first image, which was created with the direct participation of Sister Faustina Kowalska by the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski (1873–1939) before the variations of the Image, which were created in the 60s–80s of 20th century. St. Faustina and her visions symbolize a new stage in catholic theology, and this applies not only to the appeal to Mercy, but also to the visual turn that has taken place. Description of the vision of St. Faustina is a kind of theological prescription, where there are obligatory characteristics (for example, a blessing hand and two rays that emanate from the chest), but different forms and variations of performance are allowed. At the same time, the figure of Sister Faustina Kowalska, the emergence of the “theology of the little man” and the theology of mercy, the visualization of compassion in the Image are a kind of forerunner of the changes in the Roman Catholic Church in the second half of the 20th century and the policy of the pontiffs, starting with John Paul II. Культ Божьего Милосердия появился в первой трети XX века в Польше и благодаря усилиям нескольких священников и при поддержке папы Римского Иоанна Павла II стал популярен во многих католических странах. Культ связан с фигурой визионерки, католической святой Фаустины Ковальской (1905–1938). Она происходила из бедной семьи, не получила никакого образования (в том числе теологического), приняла монашество в возрасте 21 года. С детства у Фаустины были видения, в которых ей являлся Иисус Христос. Он говорил о Божьем Милосердии, Венчике Милосердия и просил сестру, чтобы она способствовала созданию Образа Божьего Милосердия. После принятия вечных обетов Фаустина рассказывает о видениях своему духовнику о. Михаилу Сопоцько, который сначала отправляет её на психиатрическое освидетельствование, а убедившись, что сестра здорова, помогает ей в создании Образа. После смерти Фаустины, в течение пятидесяти лет формируется традиция теологии милосердия, которая станет основой понтификата Иоанна Павла II. В данной статье мы рассматриваем только одну сторону почитания Божьего Милосердия, а именно историю Образа Иисуса Милосердного от первого изображения, которое было создано при непосредственном участии св. Фаустины Ковальской художником Евгениушем Казимировским (1873–1939), до вариаций Образа, которые были написаны в 60–80-ее гг. ХХ столетия. Сестра Фаустина и её видения символизируют новый этап в католической теологии, причём это касается не только обращения к Милосердию, но и произошедшего визуального поворота в благочестии.

Urgency of the research. In the first half of the 20th century Catholic theology faced new intellectual challenges and a wave of modernization processes, which required a thoughtful theological response from leading contemporary Catholic thinkers. At the time of the current dominance of postmetaphysical and postmodern patterns of thinking, when the traditional issues of Christian ontology are being revised or relativized, the researches of the most prominent neo-Thomists of the 20th century appear to be newly relevant as significant attempts to construct a holistic, conceptual, and consistent philosophic vision of reality. Target setting. The prevailing liberal theological discourse always brands any ambitious attempt at large-scale theological systematization and conceptualization as allegedly narrow-minded traditionalism and irrelevant paleoconservatism. E. Gilson and the great amount of his theological and philosophical work are worth a new careful rethinking, given the tendency of modern theology to ideological fragmentation, decomposition, and marginalization of a holistic system of Christian doctrines. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The article is based on the analysis of a number of primary sources with taking into account the work of such researchers in the field of Gilsonian neo-Thomism as F. Murphy, B. Shanley, G. Grisez, A. Maurer, D. Kiryanov and A. Dakhniy. The research objective. The primary aim of the article is to identify the basic system-building ideas that E. Gilson has placed at the core of his concept of Christian philosophy. The statement of basic materials. Gilson managed to creatively present, update, and reveal the heuristic potential of Thomism as a paradigmatic system of metaphysical and epistemological realism, which had proved its historical continuity and notable influence even on the founders of the rational discourse of the Enlightenment. Gilson’s merit also lies in his expression of the constitutive role of human reason in the construction of Christian philosophy, as well as in the fact that he did not attempt to mask a possible lack of argument by appealing to the doctrine of divine revelation. The researcher advocated the need for the creative rethinking of Thomism as a dialogical system of ideas and emphasized the inadequacy of the uncritical repetition of Aquinas’ teachings in the frozen historical form in the context of new unprecedented challenges. Conclusions. Gilson did not attempt to synthesize medieval philosophical ideas with modern intellectual constructions for creating his own complex and eclectic system. Gilson’s key goal was the reassertion of a complex Thomistic vision of reality against the background of dismantled ideological programs of emasculated hyperrationality (with a bias towards extreme scientism) and cumbersome forms of idealism. The researcher managed to disprove the established stereotype regarding the alleged degradation and primitivization of philosophy during the Middle Ages, demonstrated strong arguments in favor of the presence of unceasing philosophical progress and ingenious original insights during the mentioned historical period, and also masterfully substantiated and legitimized the fundamental possibility of Christian philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay contains reflections on a new book by renowned historian Denis Crouzet on children’s violence, and, more broadly, on the image of children during the French Wars of Religion. In the book under review, the novelty lies in the fact that the images of ‘innocent infants’ make part of a separate plot. Just as novel are Denis Crouzet’s reflections on the ‘sources of inspiration’ of the young French persecutors of heretics. The author indicates the anthropological correspondences inherent in the culture of both Italian and French cities, such as the carnivalesque inversion of the ‘world inside out’ and the social function of youth associations taking part in the ‘charivari’ rites. Denis Crouzet pays attention to sources that are novel to him, like children’s Christmas chants, mystery plays, and ‘miracles’. While impersonating the Innocents persecuted by Herod but also angels carrying retaliation to this villain, urban children learnt what and how to do in the face of a carnival challenge. The ways to leave the eschatological activism are of particular interest. After 1572, the gangs of executioners-children left the scene. Only the murder of the Guises on Christmas Day, 1588, threw crowds of children into the streets of Paris. Now they were described differently, however, — as a disciplined mass, occupied not with outrages but with prayers. The author speaks of ‘Catholic consciousness’, but that was already a different reformed Catholicism, departing further and further from the old ‘corporate Catholicism’. The religious political activity of children would become a thing of the past, however. The image of an innocent child would once more be in demand only after the Revolution, when, this time in a desacralised context, children became the embodiment of the French nation.

Досліджено полемічний твір письменника-католика, екс-ігумена Михайлівського монастиря в Києві Теодора Скуминовича "Przyczyny porzucenia Disuniey przezacnemu narodowi ruskiemu podane" (1643); розкрито погляд книжника на причини занепаду православного Сходу, вказано застосовані стилістичні прийоми текстотворення. У своєму творі Теодор Скуминович обґрунтував думку про те, що відокремлення Східної церкви від Рима спричинило занепад держав, у яких вона займала провідні позиції. Ідеалізуючи добу єдності церкви, письменник контрастно протиставив величне християнське минуле Сирії її трагічній сучасності. Критикуючи грецьке духовенство за відмову вести об'єднавчий діалог із Римом, Теодор Скуминович розповів про жахливу трагедію католиків, що сталася в царському місті у 1182 р. Свій погляд письменник також спрямував на церковне життя Єгипту, Лівії, Нумідії, Німеччини, Франції, Угорщини, Італії. Книжник зараховував Україну до тієї самої категорії країн, що й Англію, Данію та Швецію, яким Бог явив Своє милосердя і довготерпіння. Пояснюючи причини духовного регресу держав східнохристиянської ойкумени, Теодор Скуминович не оминув трагічні віхи історії Стародавньої Русі. Як і занепад Візантійської імперії, полеміст розглядав військові та внутрішньополітичні негаразди "Руської монархії" в контексті католицької концепції історії, у якій добробут народів залежав від послуху владі Папи Римського. Розквіт Давньоруської держави, що припав на роки князювання Володимира-Хрестителя та Ярослава Мудрого, письменник пов'язував з дотриманням Київською митрополією римоцентричної еклезіології. Натомість поширення на Руській землі схизми Михаїла I Керуларія викликало Божий гнів, що виявився у міжусобницьких чварах, братовбивчій війні, її загарбанні військами Золотої Орди та Великого князівства Литовського.

Несмотря на проявление определенного интереса к религии в перестроечные годы российский Дальний Восток к началу 1990-х годов продолжал оставаться самым секулярным регионом страны, значительная часть его населения не имела опыта «жизни в Боге». Принятие ФЗ «О свободе вероисповеданий» (1990) и подписание Президентом РСФСР Б.Н. Ельциным 20 сентября 1991 Указа № 123 «Об открытии г. Владивостока для посещения иностранными гражданами» привели к тому, что российский Дальний Восток в 1990-е годы становится одним из излюбленных мест работы иностранных миссионеров, прибывающих в регион из США, Республики Корея, Японии, Австралии, Новой Зеландии, Канады, КНР и других стран. Значительная часть миссионеров, работающих на Дальнем Востоке России, были представителями протестантских и католических религиозных организаций. Материальная и моральная помощь иностранных миссионеров и миссионерских организаций местным протестантским общинам (баптистов, евангельских христиан, христиан веры евангельской (пятидесятников) и адвентистов седьмого дня) способствовала тому, что дальневосточные протестанты смогли в 1990-е годы не только начать массовую евангелизацию населения Дальнего Востока, но и добиться в этом значительных успехов, обогнав по количеству религиозных общин Русскую православную церковь. Миссионерское служение на территории российского Дальнего Востока представителей различных христианских конфессий из сопредельных стран способствовало, с одной стороны, росту протестантских и католических общин и групп, помогало дальневосточным верующим в организации благотворительной и милосердной деятельности; с другой – иногда приводило к конфликтным ситуациям. Позиции баптизма, евангельского христианства, пятидесятничества и адвентизма на Дальнем Востоке России были прочны и в советское время, в постсоветской России они должны восприниматься как традиционные религии, в дополнение к более традиционным, исторически признанным.

Досліджено полемічний твір екс-ігумена Михайлівського монастиря в Києві Теодора Скуминовича "Przyczyny porzucenia Disuniey przezacnemu narodowi ruskiemu podane" (1643); розкрито погляд католицького книжника на причини занепаду Візантійської імперії та східнохристиянської традиції; висвітлено критичні міркування письменника стосовно розуміння церковної кризи на Сході православними богословами, які пояснювали завоювання Константинополя Османською імперією Божим випробуванням; простежено світоглядно-ціннісні домінанти Теодора Скуминовича та особливості його полемічного стилю. Для переконання православного читача у правоті своєї позиції католицький автор найчастіше використовував риторичні можливості антитези та ампліфікації, що вписувалося в контрреформаційну стилістику тієї доби, цитував праці візантійських істориків та книги старозавітних пророків.

This article deals with one of the most controversial problems in the history of Britain in the Early Modern Time. Hardly any personality of this period provoked such heated debates among historians and contradictory assessments of contemporaries as King James II Stuart. He was the last Catholic on the British throne. The main aim of this article is to identify the main direction of church reforms of this monarch, show the confessional groups that benefi ted from this direction and who considered themselves aggrieved. The article also attempts to identify the reasons for the “black legend” of James II as a blood-covered representative of Counter-Reformation. Based on a large evidence of sources, the article proves that James II strived after a broad religious tolerance rather than elimination of Protestantism in his reign. One of the conclusions is that in the 17th century the Catholic community in England and Scotland was so small that did not pose any threat to the confessional system dominating in each of these countries (Anglicanism in England, Presbyterian Church in Scotland). Persecution of Catholics was a remnant of Reformation, which should have been overcome for the sake of overcoming political tension in Britain’s society. The article identifi es the main stages in church reforms of James II, his strategy in the religious question, and sheds light on the attempts to fi nd at least temporary allies. The main conclusion of the article is that the vision of James II was broader than that of his contemporaries and that he was ahead of his time (the emancipation of the Catholics only took place in Great Britain in the late 18th — early 19th centuries), which was the reason why his contemporaries did not understand him. Besides, the social basis of the king was very limited. All these factors led to the overthrow of James II during the Glorious Revolution of 1688‒1689.

This article demonstrates the complexity and ambiguity of such religious phenomena as obsession and exorcism. It argues that they need to be extracted from a purely theological consideration into the domain of religious studies. The article studies the modern controversy over individual cases of exorcism and their theological reception, then it gives a classifi cation of approaches to the study and interpretation of exorcism and obsession. Five approaches are distinguished, i.e. theological, revealing, psychological, sociological, and performative. From the comparison of these approaches, it is obvious that there is no scientifi c consensus as to the assessment of the phenomena in question. To understand the nature of exorcism, the article refers to its genesis and development, highlighting several stages. At the initial stage, the practice of exorcism takes place in preparation for baptism in the Latin Church. In the Middle Ages, this practice comes to oblivion and does not interest serious theologians. At the Council of Trent takes place a stabilisation of the rite of exorcism; from a pre-baptismal practice that can be administered by any clerics it becomes a privilege of priests. The Council also regulates the need for control as to the real obsession and justifi es the publicity of exorcism. After the Council, the famous “Rituale Romanum” was composed, which records the canonical form of the ritual. The next two hundred years are characterised by a new decline in exorcism as a result of rationalistic criticism and scandals caused by cases of mass obsession. In the 19th and 20th centuries comes the third stage in the history of exorcism, which is now connected with esoteric mythology. Thanks to the medicalisation of the discourse of obsession, catholic priests are beginning to look for legitimation of the practice of exorcism in the fi eld of parapsychological and spiritual research. The article concludes that for many centuries the understanding of exorcism included theological ideas of early Catholicism, magical beliefs of medieval Europe, theological disputes of Protestantism and Catholicism, medical discourse of the 19th century, esoteric mythology of satanism and spiritualism, parapsychology, and clichés of media culture.

This article deals with the doctrine of knowledge developed by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, the Dominican and a prominent Catholic thinker of the fi rst quarter of the 20th century. It shows that Garrigou-Lagrange provides grounds for the realistic variant of epistemology and follows the category of “common sense”, but understands this category as a classical lumen naturale. This allows one to examine the relation of the “natural reason” and the external world and substantiate the fundamental logical principles of cognition on the one hand and to determine the boundary of “common sense” and outline its direction towards the “supernatural” as its aim on the other hand. Garrigou-Lagrange attributes the main signifi cance to the metaphysical interpretation of principles of being which guarantee its objectivity and cognoscibility. Following the assumption about the primordial act of grasping (apprehension) being as a fact of existence, Garrigou-Lagrange then deduces the main ontological and epistemological categories that describe reality and make up the foundation of the reasonability of reality and intellect (adаequatio rei et intellectus), of which speaks the Thomist understanding of verity. According to the Dominican thinker, this defi nition is based on logical categories of identity, contradiction, substabce, suffi cient ground, causality, and fi niteness. This being said, the category of fi niteness is no less important and fundamental than the initial category of identity, from which one deduces the ontological defi nitions of possibility and reality, cause and eff ect, etc. The fi niteness makes up the foudation of existence of the living unity of reality both in nature and in human spirit. Moreover, it makes up the foundation for the spirit’s transcending beyound its limits, to what is supernatural and superessential, to God as the ultimate aim of all. This allows one to describe the interpretation of problems of cognition given by Garrigou-Lagrange as a significant step in the development of Neo-Thomist gnoseology that overcomes the psychologism of Leuven dchool, and also as a starting point for a number of alternative epistemological projects, i.e. J. Maréchal’s transcendental Neo-Thomism, J. Maritain’s critical realism, and E. Gilson’s immediate realism.

The aim of this article is to study the moral and philosophical principles of F. M. Dostoevsky in his attitude to Catholicism. The chronological borders of the article comprise the period when the brothers Dostoevsky edited the journals Vremya (“Time”, 1861–1863) and Epokha (“Epoch”, 1864‒1865). Dostoevsky’s interest in Catholic issues, which occupies such an important place in the writer’s historiosophical system, is associated during this period with a key topic, which in the relevant historiography came to be termed the “Roman Question”. It deals with a prolonged political crisis in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the united Italian state, caused by the annexation by the latter of the independent Papal state and, as a result, the liquidation of the secular power of the Roman pontifi ces, which took place in 1871 and led, ultimately, to the convocation of the First Vatican Council and the proclamation of the dogmata of papal primacy and papal infallibility. The “Roman Question” was frequently refl ected in the materials of the journals “Time” and “Epoch”, the articles of which discussed important aspects of the issue, including theological and moral problems of the boundaries of the secular and ecclesiastical authority of the Roman pontifex, personal features and policies of Pope Pius IX, the role of the Jesuits in the formation and active “promotion” of the ideology of ultramontanism in the churchpolitical agenda, as well as some very questionable, from a moral point of view, methods of missionary work of the Catholic Church during this period, in particular, the “case of the boy Cohen”. The materials of the study suggest that as early as the 1860s, F. M. Dostoevsky had shaped, both in his essays and in materials of his journals, all the main themes of his later anti-Catholic polemic that was to be refl ected in his epistolary and essayistic legacy (“Writer’s Diary”) as well as in his novels (“Idiot”, “Demons”, “Brothers Karamazov”).

This publication contains a fragment of the French-Russian Thesaurus of Religious Lexis that covers the language of Catholicism and Orthodoxy (and, to a lesser extent, Protestantism)

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With the raising of the security dangers in Europe and the challenges of the migration the problem of the saving of the Christian identity of the continent was recognized as more actual and sharp. As well as the problem of the discrimination of Christians in the Middle East. Russian Orthodoxy suggested its own response on the global challenges. The Author analyzed the role of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the effectiveness of the using of the potential of the ROC in the foreign policy of Russia. In the article was used the methods of the historical and sociological analysis of the public declarations and actions of the representatives of the ROC and the state officials. The author pointed that the Russian Church step by step in its foreign policy proceeded from the nationalistic ant western rhetoric to the European vector of its policy where the significant role began to play the super national interests of the Russian Church and the rights and freedoms of the religious associations in a secular society.

Рассматривается конфессиональный состав Кабинета Его Императорского Величества Алтайского округа в первое десятилетие XX в. Вбирая в состав Российской империи новые территории и их население, царское правительство старалось формировать для элиты единое конфессиональное пространство. В кризисно-переходный период хозяйственного развития округа конфессиональный состав Кабинета отличался наличием всех христианских деноминаций. Исходя из государственно-конфессиональной политики предыдущих этапов истории Российской империи доминирующее положение занимали служащие православного вероисповедания (около 75%.) Значительно меньшее количество принадлежало последователям римо-католического направления (около 6-9%), третье место занимали служащие, исповедовавшие протестантизм, а именно лютеранство (4,5%). Анализ персональных данных за 1909, 1910 гг. показал наличие в штате представителей иудаизма (два человека), несмотря на то, что Сибирь не входила в «черту еврейской оседлости». Обращение к некоторым типичным биографиям служащих Кабинета инославного исповедания приводит к выводу о том, что представители неправославных конфессий являются потомками давно обрусевших выходцев из Европы, связавших свою жизнь с Россией и искренне служивших ей.

У статті обґрунтовано можливості перевірки наявних теорій, пошук нових концептуальних рішень, а також нездатність (або слабка здатність) інструментарію вловлювати специфічні культурні особливості досліджуваних релігійних феноменів.

Urgency of the research. In the Roman Catholic Church anthropological concept is based on the perception of the sacredness and inviolability of human life. Life is a gift of God, God is its source. The spiritual and bodily integrity of a person who is free and responsible has as its main goal the direction to God. Personality is the basis of Christian personalism, the main criterion of moral evaluations and actions, the object and purpose of human activity. Dignity and the good of the integrated person are the main principle of the Christian anthropological concept and the fundamental criterion of Christian bioethics. Target setting. The Catholic Church has a clear position on bioethical issues, based on the recognition of the value and dignity of human life and respect for human rights. The bioethical approach of utilitarianism focuses on the public good, to which the individual must submit. The paradigm of utilitarianism solves the problem not in favor of being a person, because it recognizes the primacy of quality of life: moral rules are little taken into account, the emphasis is on maximum benefit, in particular for society as a whole, not for the individual. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The main basic documents on the anthropological concept in the context of bioethics are: the encyclical "Humanae vitae", the "Charter for Health Care Workers", the encyclical "Evangelium vitae". Since these documents require a fairly broad analysis and require a large amount of work, in our article we will focus primarily on the first two of them. To support our conclusions, we will analyze the report of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which provides in-depth generalizations about the anthropological concept of man in the Roman Catholic Church. The methodological example for our article will be the works of Ukrainian scientists Tetyana Havryliuk, Ivan Ostashchuk and Yuri Chornomorets. The research objective. The aim of the of the article is to analyze the anthropological concept of man as a integrated personality in the Catholic tradition of bioethics. In accordance with the set aim, separate tasks should be revealed: to analyze some basic documents of the Holy See on the problems of bioethics and to highlight the main features of the Christian concept of anthropology in their application to the evaluation of bioethics. The statement of basic materials. In modern bioethical research and the practice of their implementation, two opposite directions can be traced: ethical absolutism in Christian philosophy and ethical relativism in utilitarianism and pragmatism. Christian bioethics is based on the anthropological concept of man as integrated personality and social being. The thesis of the dignity of the human person is contained in the biblical concept of the creation of man in the image and likeness of God. The Christian anthropological concept is based on the perception of the individual as an inseparable unity of the physical and the spiritual. Christian moral norms should be seen in the context of the phenomenon of the gift. Conclusions. The Christian position is based on the transmission and interpretation of the biblical idea of the human person on the basis of God's plan. Man is the only creature called to live for himself; created in the image and likeness of God; the main purpose of its life is to go to God and to call to God's beatitude. Man is an inseparable and unique unity of the physical and the spiritual. It is impossible to give exclusive preference only to the biological or only the mental nature of man as an integrally the sources of moral responsibility; the matter of human growth is based on a combination of sensory and spiritual life. Man, by his actions on the basis of conscience, accepts or does not accept the good that God has promised him. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article analyzes the main elements of the modern theoretical concept of post-secularity in the context of comparative analysis with the main provisions of the theory of secularity, compares and analyzes different interpretations and different theoretical and methodological approaches to defining post-secular society. A retrospective analysis of the causes and process of formation of the postsecular paradigm in the conditions of observation of the inability to fully implement the principles of secularism is carried out. The correlation between post-secular reality and convergent processes as a reaction to socio-cultural transformations of society is revealed. The role of the ecumenical concept as one of the main elements of the convergent processes of society as a response to the spread of secular ideology and socio-cultural transformations of society is clarified. The complex comparative analysis and reflexive, critical views on sekulyarnist and plurality of interpretations outlined the use of the term "postsekulyarnist" in modern philosophical and religious studies plane. The concept of post-secularism does not aim to deny the existence of modern secular societies, or that they all totally move towards desecularization, but to demonstrate that the main directions of the secular paradigm remain often unrealized. Instead, religion is not seen as a relic of the past, but in the public sphere it is given a legitimate role, which can still remain the subject of debate. However, such tolerance should exclude the slightest suspicion of its possible repressive nature, when adherents of both religiosity and secularism recognize one after another the right to their own beliefs, the practice or non-practice of rituals. Evidence of post-secular ideological disposition is open Christian communities to adopt and implement in reality ecumenical concepts as well as their focus on directives post-secular philosophy and theology, intended to overcome destrukturyzatsiyu caused by secular processes in the political and cultural spheres of secular society and inner life of the Christian denominations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is devoted to the coverage of the territorial organization of the modern confessional space of the regions of Western Ukraine, which was formed under the influence of complex historical and geographical factors, namely the formation of Ukraine, socio-political life of individual regions, the influence of Western civilization, national liberation movements, ethnic composition and more. The Western Ukrainian region, to which we include 8 oblasts, namely: Zakarpattia, Lviv, Volyn, Rivne, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and Khmelnytskyi, is distinguished by a high level of religious mosaic and activity of the population, which is manifested in high rates of provision with religious communities and organizations, a high proportion of those who consider themselves believers and attend worship services weekly or at least once a month, and other indicators. It is interesting that in the territory of Western Ukraine such historical and geographical lands are separated as Volyn, Zakarpattia, Halychyna, Northern Bukovina, Southern Bukovina, part of Dorohoishchyna and Podillya, which certainly emphasizes this region as special for studying the geographical features of the formation of confessional space. Orthodoxy in the study region predominates in Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Volyn, Rivne, and Zakarpattia oblasts, and Greek Catholicism predominates in Halychyna (Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Ternopil oblasts). It is interesting that Roman Catholics are quite prominent in the confessional structure in the Khmelnytskyi oblast, where Poles occupy a significant share in the ethnic structure. Protestantism is present in all regions, but it is most concentrated in Volyn and Northern Bessarabia. In Zakarpattia oblast there is a separate denomination - the Transcarpathian Reformed Church, which is mainly professed by Hungarians. It is established that the confessional space differs not so much by administrative-territorial boundaries as by historicalgeographical regions, which confirms the idea of the main influence on the process of its formation of historical-geographical features of territory formation, ethnic composition, demographic processes and other socio-political factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most of Christian traditions embrase the notion of sacrament (Latin: sacramenta). This notion deals with the church directives in a narrow meaning. According to Saint Augustine, the sacrament is a visible action of an invisible grace thus the Church, the Christ, the Bible, being material phenomena where two natures combine (Divine and human), are also considered to be sacraments. Therefore, the author of the article presents the Bible as the most outstanding and the most visible example of a sacrament in a broad meaning. Using the examples of the attitude change to the Bible in the Catholic tradition, the author studies the move from the sacral perception of the text in the decisions made at the Council of Trent to its open sacramental understanding in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and its post-council decisions. Due to the fact that Ukrainian scholars and local clergy theologically poorly interpreted the Bible as a Word of God in the Catholic tradition, the goal of this article is to make a diachronic comparison of the results of the Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council, which allows to show the change dynamics in the attitude of the Catholic Church to the Bible. The Council of Trent was a reaction of the Catholic Church to the emergence and achievements of the Reformation and its important principle Sola Scriptura. The Council approved two doctrinal documents on the Sacred Scripture: the first one deals with the Scripture canon and the relations between the Scripture and the Sacred Tradition, and the second one defines which text of the Scripture is to be considered sacred and official and how to interpret this text. The author concludes that the Council limited the Sacred Tradition only with faith and moral issues, meaning spheres of doctrines and piety, and recognized Latin translation of the Bible - Vulgate - to be the only official version to have a sacred meaning and "a sacred book per se". The Bible is admitted to be a closed book, separated from the readers and receivers of the Gospel, which is prohibited for an autonomous interpretation. On the contrary, the Second Vatican Council and its documents (Lumen Gentium - Light of the Nations and Dei verbum - Word of God), in their essence, had a pastoral task, manifested in an attempt of giving a comprehensible overview of the Catholic Church doctrine for the world community. Therefore, the author asserts that the last 400 years of the history of the Catholic doctrine show serious changes in its attempt of contextualization and mark its main peculiarity: reaction to the modern society challenges and needs. The task of the Second Vatican Council was to clarify the nature of the Sacred Scripture, which had to balance the Tradition and a new approach to the Scripture. Based on the analysis of the documents of the mentioned Councils and the commentaries of the authoritative Catholic preachers (Pope Benedict XVI, r. Robert Murray, r. Josef Ratzinger, Scott Hahn), the author concludes that the new approach to the Sacred Scripture essentially points to the open sacral and sacramental character of the Bible. The author emphasizes the modern approach to the sacrality of the Bible not only as to a "sacral book per se", but also in its sacral effect on the reader. The researcher asserts that new changes declared in Dei verbum and Verbum Domini, which emphasize the pastoral effect of the Bible as a way of knowing Jesus Christ, are crucial for the building relations between various Christian movements, especially for the Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Urgency of the research. The urgency of the topic is due to the fact that the cultural activities of the Christian denominations have not yet been considered from this perspective. And the processes that took place in the social and cultural life of Ukraine in the early sixteenth century. as well as in the religious and ecclesiastical complex of Christianity in general, are analyzed in a panoramic and impartial manner. Target setting. The study of the religious-philosophical problem in the activity of Christian churches and their influence on the cultural life of Ukraine in the context of religious diversity is conducted. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. There are a number of basic studies that address some of the problems of Ukrainian humanism and some of the provisions of a general analysis of Renaissance human philosophy. These are, in particular, the works of D. Nalyvayko, V. Lytvynov, Y. Stratyi, P. Kraliuk, M. Kashuba, I. Paslavskiy, V. Gorskiy, O. Matkovska, B. Krysa, V. Lyubashchenko. The research objective. Research on the influence of the national idea of Ukrainian Catholics, Greek Catholics and Protestants on public opinion and their positive impact on the formation and development of Ukrainian national consciousness, education and culture. The statement of basic material. The article examines the spiritual and religious culture of Ukraine in the first half of the sixteenth century, which is one of the most interesting and poorly researched topics in the history of cultural development of Ukraine. It was during this period that the foundations were laid for the formation of early-modern national thought in its various ways -rationalistic and mystical; Renaissance-humanist and reformist ideas were formed, which later functioned and developed within the boundaries of Ukrainian Baroque culture. There is still an opinion that among the main Christian denominations in Ukraine -Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Uniate -national, state-building has always been and is still only Orthodox. As for the “Catholic movement” -Ukrainians of the Catholic faith, almost nothing is known about them in the general public. Meanwhile, from the point of view of national ideology, the "Catholic Rus" for the culture of Ukrainian did, probably, not less than the Greek Catholics or the Orthodox, and could produce no less than the cultural forces for both the Ukrainian material culture and the spiritual. Conclusions. Denationalization and Polonization of the Ukrainian Population in the 16th Century associated with the process of tickling. However, this process was not onesided. There was also a Ukrainianization of the Catholic environment. This found some manifestations in the activities of the Ukrainian Dominicans and some cultural centers. All this has not yet been sufficiently studied, although the need for this kind of knowledge is great because, given Ukraine's European choice, it is important to overcome outdated nihilistic dogmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Услышав о прибытии Петра I во Францию, апостольский нунций Корнелио Бентивольо захотел встретиться с ним, но без разрешения сверху он не мог приблизиться к этому «еретику» и «раскольнику». Кардинал Фабрицио Паолуччи, заведовавший иностранными делами при папской курии, призывал его быть максимально осмотрительным. Бентивольо была доверена важная миссия и было позволено посетить российского суверена при условии соблюдения всех церемониальных условностей. Апостольский нунций в рассматриваемый период приравнивался по рангу к представителю императора, что предполагало наличие ряда правил. Он должен был вести себя сдержанно по отношению к царю некатолического вероисповедания, который, с точки зрения Римско-католической церкви, не имел веса в иерархии западных правителей ввиду своей религиозной принадлежности. Паолуччи позволил нунцию обращаться к царю «Ваше величество», но только устно. Как в таком случае ему следовало называть царя в письме с просьбой предоставить аудиенцию? Нунций благоразумно ждал указаний от папы римского Климента XI и получил их 17 мая 1717 г., когда Петр I находился в Париже уже около двух недель. Бентивольо было приказано сначала обратиться к Куракину, чтобы найти способ встретиться с царем, не нарушив протокола. Согласно инструкциям, которые он получил, обсуждению подлежали два вопроса: предоставление свободы вероисповедания всем католикам Российской империи, включая униатов, и создание новой Священной лиги для противостояния Османской империи. После долгих переговоров с Куракиным нунцию удалось встретиться с Петром за неделю до его отъезда. Царь внимательно выслушал доводы Бентивольо о религиозной свободе католиков, в частности униатов, в России, однако не посчитал нужным отвечать и отправил нунция к Шафирову. Тот, в свою очередь, удивил представителя Климента XI предложением учредить должность нунция в Санкт-Петербурге, чего не мог сделать без указаний сверху. Что касается Петра, он не хотел вести диалог с Бентивольо, так как тот был известен своим отрицательным отношением к любым проявлениям протестантизма. Нунций отзывался о Петре как о выдающемся деятеле, но не мог не критиковать его вольную манеру поведения. Подобные замечания, высказанные апостольским нунцием, были сродни проклятию. Петр не был собеседником, достойным святого отца, поэтому обратился к простым церковникам, которые впоследствии вдохновили его на некоторые реформы.

In the article of Oleh Shepetyak "The Christianity of Franks: the Formation of the Vector of European Civilization" is analyzed the Christianization of Western Europe and the Rolle of Franks in this difficult process. The basis of the European civilization is Christianity. The Christianization of the European peoples was a difficult and ambiguous process. Many Germanic peoples, which settled down in Europe, had accepted the Christianity in its Arianism version. The main factor, which caused the domination of Catholic Church in Western Europe and the crowning out of the Arianism, was the political domination of the Franks and the Frank's conquest of the Germanic peoples. The changes of the dynasties of Frank's Kingdom and the change of Europa's political map Europe had played very impotent role in the Christianization Europa's. In the article is highlighted special role of two Frankꞌs Kings Clovis and Charles the Great in the Process dissemination of Christianity in Europe. The analyze of these facts of the religious history Europe's is the object of this article.

The article analyses cultural Mexican specificities on the basis of the popular telenovela “Porque el Amor Manda” which can be translated to English as “Love Rules”. The local traditions and customs are looked upon discussing concrete episodes of the mentioned soap opera. The issues related to the topic include family relationships, religion, cuisine, medicine, the role of woman in the Mexican society, class distinctions as well as friendship.

У статті схарактеризовано роль інославних релігійних об’єднань на українських землях упродовж ХІХ – першої третини ХХ ст. у складі Російської імперії та СРСР. Означено, що інославні християнські громади на українських землях були не лише урбаністичним феноменом, а й мали стосунок до питань землекористування, успадкування, оренди землі. Зокрема, наголошено на особливостях землекористування менонітських інославних об’єднань в Україні. Окреслено подальші перспективи дослідження.

This article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of Catholicism on the Vietnamese worldview. The paper highlights different aspects of the origin and evolution of new religious phenomena associated with various forms of literature, embodying a new spiritual content.

The present article deals with the problem of the retranslation of the Bible in Christian tradition. The difference between Roman Catholic Church, Russian Orthodox Church and Protestant Churches is analyzed. Three main tendencies are postulated: 1) the return to the «right» text on sacred language and «purification» of the existing version; 2) striving for «modernization» – the transition from the traditional sacred language to the modern one; 3) the contamination of both tendencies, when the Bible is represented on «non-sacred» language, but the text is most archaized.

The most of Christian traditions embrase the notion of sacrament (Latin: sacramenta). This notion deals with the church directives in a narrow meaning. According to Saint Augustine, the sacrament is a visible action of an invisible grace thus the Church, the Christ, the Bible, being material phenomena where two natures combine (Divine and human), are also considered to be sacraments. Therefore, the author of the article presents the Bible as the most outstanding and the most visible example of a sacrament in a broad meaning. Using the examples of the attitude change to the Bible in the Catholic tradition, the author studies themove from the sacral perception of the text in the decisions made at the Council of Trent to its open sacramental understanding in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and its post-council decisions. Due to the fact that Ukrainian scholars and local clergy theologically poorly interpreted the Bible as a Word of God in the Catholic tradition, the goal of this article is to make a diachronic comparison of the results of the Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council, which allows to show the change dynamics in the attitude of the Catholic Church to the Bible. TheCouncil of Trentwas a reaction of theCatholic Church to the emergence and achievements of the Reformation and its important principle Sola Scriptura. The Council approved two doctrinal documents on the Sacred Scripture: the first one deals with the Scripture canon and the relations between the Scripture and the Sacred Tradition, and the second one defines which text of the Scripture is to be considered sacred and official and how to interpret this text. The author concludes that the Council limited the Sacred Tradition only with faith and moral issues, meaning spheres of doctrines and piety, and recognized Latin translation of the Bible - Vulgate - to be the only official version to have a sacred meaning and "a sacred book per se". The Bible is admitted to be a closed book, separated fromthe readers and receivers of the Gospel, which is prohibited for an autonomous interpretation. On the contrary, the Second Vatican Council and its documents (Lumen Gentium - Light of the Nations and Dei verbum -Word of God), in their essence, had a pastoral task, manifested in an attempt of giving a comprehensible overview of the Catholic Church doctrine for the world community. Therefore, the author asserts that the last 400 years of the history of the Catholic doctrine show serious changes in its attempt of contextualization and mark its main peculiarity: reaction to the modern society challenges and needs. The task of the Second Vatican Council was to clarify the nature of the Sacred Scripture, which had to balance the Tradition and a newapproach to the Scripture. Based on the analysis of the documents of the mentioned Councils and the commentaries of the authoritative Catholic preachers (Pope Benedict XVI, r. RobertMurray, r. Josef Ratzinger, Scott Hahn), the author concludes that the new approach to the Sacred Scripture essentially points to the open sacral and sacramental character of the Bible. The author emphasizes the modern approach to the sacralityof the Bible notonly as to a "sacral book per se", but also in its sacral effect on the reader. The researcher asserts that new changes declared in Dei verbum and Verbum Domini, which emphasize the pastoral effect of the Bible as a way of knowing Jesus Christ, are crucial for the building relations between various Christian movements, especially for the Catholic and Protestant traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article studed comprehend of the religious phenomenon of Catholicism in religious-philosophy conception of the Metropolitan Alexiy (Gromadskiy). Ascertained that Alexiy approached to consider Catholicism from position of Orthodox ecclesiology his views incurred transformation and the main acceptance in the critique of Catholicism views decided by thinker to the conception of Primacy of the Pope and papocaesarism.

The article reviews the features of heretical movements in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions (bohumylstva «pozhydovlenyh» feodosiyan, Waldensians, Cathars)

Проведений аналіз богословського доробку швейцарського протестантського богослова Карла Барта та німецько-австрійського католицького богослова Карла Ранера в царині тринітології; викладена дискусія, в контексті якої зародилися їхні ідеї та умови, в яких вони розвинулися; показане значення, яке відіграв доробок цих мислителів у світовій науці.

Головне концептуальне положення пропонованої розвідки – деконструкція модерної міфологеми «Схід – Захід» на грунті компаративного аналізу православної та католицької картин світу. Шляхом герменевтичної інтерпретації смислів східного і західного християнства створюються дві моделі міфологічного топосу: православна з притаманними для неї тенденціями до містицизму, соборності, комунітарних (соціалістичних) форм управління, та католицька, якій властиві раціоналізм, персоналізм, ліберальна демократія, домінування особистісного чинника. Національна культура розглядається на засадах феноменології релігії як маргінальна міфологічно-географічна зона з відповідними типами регіональних ідентичностей Західної та Східної України, що постають у ролі подвійної іпостасі Чужого.