Aleksandr Popovitsky's "Tserkovno-obshchestvenny vestnik"

In this article, the author explores the history of the creation of the newspaper Tserkovno-Obshchestvenny Vestnik, an entirely novel development in ecclesiastic periodical publishing during the reign of Emperor Alexander II. Up to now, the history of the Tserkovno-Obshchestvenny Vestnik and its editor, Aleksandr Popovitsky, have been barely touched by scholars. However, this topic is of immense interest in analyzing the history of the church and the clergy in the second half of the 19th century. In the present article, the goals and purpose of publishing this newspaper are identified, as well as the views of this new periodical among both the clergy, the Department for Press Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and the Holy Governing Synod. Based on archival documents, the author is able to explore the history of the creation of this newspaper starting with the time of its registration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and first encounters with the religious censors. Te author pays special atention to conflicts that arose between the editorial board of the newspaper and the Ministry of Internal Affairs when certain articles were published, as well as on the rule of this newspaper in the process of the open discussion of controversial issues in ecclesiastic life.