Russia has long-standing traditions of co-existence of followers of different religions. Today interfaith dialog is developing actively.

According to the Federal Registration Service, relevant agencies of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation have registered over 22,500 religious groups that belong to various religious denominations. Their number varies within the country’s territory depending on the traditionally dominant religion in this or that area and activity of this or that religious organization.

The largest religious group in Russia is represented by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which comprises over 26,000 parishes (including those in foreign countries), about 690 monasteries and convents, 5 ecclesiastical academies, over 30 divinity schools, and about 50 religious schools. The Primate of ROC is the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexius II, who is the most influential religious leader in Russia and often introduces important initiatives, including those in interfaith and public spheres.

In terms of the number of religious groups the second place goes to the Muslim community of Russia, which has about 6,000 mosques. The Ministry of Justice has registered over 3,700 Muslim religious organizations which amount to about 18 per cent of all religious groups. Federal and regional authorities of Russia actively cooperate with the Council of Muftis of Russia (headed by Rawil Ghaynetdin ), the Central Religious Administration of Russian Muslims (headed by Talgat Tajuddin) and the Coordinating Council of the Muslims of the Northern Caucasus (headed by Ismail Berdiev). Problems that continue to complicate the situation in the Muslim community remain the same: they consist not only in administrative disunity, but also in occasional manifestations of extremism ‘under the flag of religion’, which has been brought in together with such forms of manifestation of religious beliefs that are alien to Russian Islam.

There are about 290 Judaic organizations registered in Russia, most of which are encompassed by two large associations — the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (headed by Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar) and the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations in Russia (headed by Chief Rabbi of Russia Adolf Shayevich).

In addition to Tibet Buddhism, already traditional for Russia, other variations have spread through the country. All-in-all there are about 200 registered religious communities, which are united around centralized organizations: the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia (headed by Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev), the Kalmyk Buddhist Association (headed by Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche), the Administration of Tuva Khamba Lama (headed by Khamba Lama Apys-ool Shurakayevich). In regions with traditional dominance of Buddhism, and also in Moscow in Saint Petersburg the teachings of Buddha are mainly professed by Tibetan monks.

In 1991 four apostolic administrations were established in Russia which were converted in 2002 into catholic episcopates thus comprising an ecclesiastical province headed by Archbishop-Metropolitan Tadeuš Kondrusevic. According to the Russian Ministry of Justice, there are over 250 catholic parishes in the country as well as about 20 monasterial orders — Society of Jesus, Assumptionists, Franciscans, Missionaries of the Word of God, and others. Activities of monasterial orders are often carried out within the framework of various charity, cultural, and educational organizations, the largest one being Caritas. In recent years the Russian Catholic Church has bolstered its publishing, educational, charity and other activities.

Recently there has been an increase in the number of Protestant religious communities. These include, in the first place, Evangelical Christians — Pentecostals (about 2000), Evangelical Baptist Christians (over 950) and Seventh-Day Adventists (around 650). Despite certain ‘competition’ of Protestant churches with other Christian communities, generally speaking, they manage to coexist well in the multiconfessional Russian society. A Consultative Council of the Heads of Protestant Unions of Russia is established comprising the Russian Consolidated Union of Evangelical Christians (chaired by Sergey Ryakhovsky), the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Russia (chaired by Yuri Sipko), the Russian Church of Evangelical Christians (presided by Pavel Okara), the Western Russian Church Union of Seventh-Day Adventists (presided by Vasily Stolyar).

In 1998 representatives of the country’s leading traditional religions (Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism), which have historically been engaged in dialogue between one another, established the Interreligious Council of Russia. A major track of the Council’s activities lies in coordinating efforts of religious communities in home and foreign peacemaking, developing relations between religion, society, and government, strengthening good morals of the public, preserving and restoring spiritual and cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia, arranging and supporting interfaith dialogue on socially important and adjacent issues, responding to events in social life within Russia and outside its borders. Leaders of several religious organizations are members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.

A Council for Cooperation with Religious Organizations was established under the President of the Russian Federation, which has as its permanent members representatives of various religious groups. The Council informs the President on positions of various religious groups on matters of internal and foreign policy, and studies issues relating to maintaining interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance in the country.

Also a Commission on Matters Relating to Religious Associations was established under the Government of the Russian Federation; one of its major tasks consists in coordinating relations between the government and religious organizations. It is headed by First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. In particular, the Commission provides information and analytical data to support activity of the Government on issues related to religious organizations and renders assistance in contacts between the Government and religious organizations.

At present we can speak about shaping the practice of constructive cooperation between the government, society, and religious organizations in a wide range of issues, including culture, intercivilizational and interfaith dialogue, education, social security, charity, health services, etc. Representatives of various religious groups have many times expressed their satisfaction with the religious groups situation in the country.