State-Confessional Interaction in Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article analyzes the relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church with the government and sanitary and epidemiological authorities during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. The statistical method, the discourse analysis and content analysis were applied. The social media analysis system “Kribrum†was used as a technical tool of the study. As a result, we have identified the types of media, popular social media platforms, and important newsworthy events that were discussed on social media. The analysis has showed that the state-confessional interaction in social media is built around the state restrictions on church services. The article demonstrates the change in the attitude of the ROC to restrictions from a sharp rejection to the adaptation. Two models of state-confessional relations have been singled out. According to the first model, believers and members of the priesthood (deacons and priests) ignored the sanitary rules for visiting churches. As for the second model, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church adapted the COVID restrictions and strictly followed them, thus, the bishops followed the state power. A rating of the most influential channels on social media that published on the state-confessional topic has been compiled with two polar images of the ROC identified — the state (conservative) and the opposition (liberal). In the state media, the ROC is presented as an important public institution, with which the state authorities and believers consult. They also noted the misunderstanding in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the authorities at the beginning of the pandemic. In the opposition media, the ROC is a slow and archaic organization that ignores sanitary rules and does not trust the decisions of the government. Believers and priests are presented as COVID dissidents who criticize the closure of churches and doubt the existence of the coronavirus. It is concluded that the ROC as a religious institution requires a special approach as well as the state and sanitary authorities should discuss with the episcopate and believers the restrictions in churches.