ABSTRACT

People of Polish and German descent predominated in the Catholic population of the Russian Empire. Catholics also tended to separate themselves from Russian society. They considered themselves Polish in nationality, retained Polish as their first language, and consciously placed themselves within the Polish rather than Russian cultural sphere, although they did appreciate the great products of Russian literature and Russian music. They also remained Catholics of the Latin Rite, if for no other reason precisely because embracing Orthodoxy would mean going over to the Russian side. Consequently, the Roman Catholic Church was marginalized; it was seen by its own members and by Russian society at large as a foreign Church. To provide all these Catholics with regular worship and catechization is the primary goal of the Roman Catholic Church in Russia. The history of the Christian world is marked by the effects of the schism between Constantinople and Rome.