The soviet union was officially an athy state, meaning the state formally tolerated religion as a private thing. In 19 14, there were about 70 tousand representatives of the clergy in russia, but by the end of 19 37, only 100 remained alive and free. Many of them under stalin before the world ware two, most bishops and most priests and most monks and nuns were killed, literally. And exactly under such conditions, the future patrick ril grew up. He still thinks that the church has reached the position of of being prominent in the public space - just the opposite from what it was in the soviet iran.