ABSTRACT
The two priests in the Russian Congress of People's Deputies, along with a layman in the parliament, were the principal founders of a political party called the Russian Christian Democratic Movement in April 1990. They represent, although they do not define exhaustively, a significant element of Russian political life of the recent past, which may be treated together under the label Christian democracy. This chapter traces the diverse manifestations of the politics of Christian democracy in Russia since 1989. Christian democracy does not represent a unitary movement in Russia, although it is a perceptible phenomenon. Christian democracy in Russia comprises a broad diversity of people, organizations, and ideas. The author lists names of several men who have figured prominently in the emergence of Christian democracy in Russia. Christian democrats encouraged by the evident sympathetic treatment accorded Russia's Orthodox tradition in the print and broadcast media.
