Abstract:
Ten years before the collapse of communism, there were warning signs that the Soviet
Union’s economy was becoming crippled. Soviet authorities controlled and
influenced the Russian Orthodox Church and they jailed leaders of the church in all
East European countries. The fall of the Berlin wall created a turning point in
Christianity in 1989. More than 8 000 Russian Orthodox Churches were reopened
between 1990 and 1995. The nineties could be described as a time of hope regarding
religious revival in Eastern Europe. In this paradigm shift, freedom of religion became
officially recognised as a basic human right and a multitude of denominations became
free to compete for followers. In Prague, Cardinal Miroslav VIk had ministered
clandestinely to Catholics while officially working as a window-washer during
communist rule. He was known by the people as the “generous pastor.” After the
Velvet Revolution, he became bishop and later cardinal in the Czech Republic. In
many East European countries, religion and national identity are closely entwined.
According to the Pew Research Centre report on Christianity, in Eastern Europe there
was a sustainable increase in religious activities from the early 1990s until 2017. The
fall of the Berlin wall had a significant influence on South Africa. It helped South
Africa in its democratic process. The once dominating neo-Calvinistic control of
society was replaced by a new paradigm of democratic freedom and an equal religious
stance by the new government elected in 1994.
