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Extract from the minutes of the meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of 11th of November 1939.

Questions of religion

In relation to religion, the ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox believers, the Central Committee decides:

1) To recognize the practice of the NKVD bodies of the USSR in terms of arrests of ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church, the persecution of believers in the future as inappropriate.

2) The instruction of Comrade Ulyanov (Lenin) of May 1, 1919, No. 13666-2 "On the fight against priests and religion", addressed to the previous. The Cheka to comrade Dzerzhinsky and all relevant instructions from the Cheka-OGPU-NKVD concerning the persecution of the ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox believers - to cancel.

3) the NKVD to audit convicted and arrested citizens in cases related to religious activities. Release from custody and replace the punishment with one not related to imprisonment for the convicted for the indicated reasons, if the activities of these citizens did not harm the Soviet regime.

4) The Central Committee will make an additional decision on the fate of believers in custody and in prisons belonging to other confessions.

Secretary of the Central Committee I. Stalin

Extract from the minutes of the meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of 11th of November 1939. Questions of religion In relation to religion, the ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox believers, the Central Committee decides: 1) To recognize the practice of the NKVD bodies of the USSR in terms of arrests of ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church, the persecution of believers in the future as inappropriate. 2) The instruction of Comrade Ulyanov (Lenin) of May 1, 1919, No. 13666-2 "On the fight against priests and religion", addressed to the previous. The Cheka to comrade Dzerzhinsky and all relevant instructions from the Cheka-OGPU-NKVD concerning the persecution of the ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox believers - to cancel. 3) the NKVD to audit convicted and arrested citizens in cases related to religious activities. Release from custody and replace the punishment with one not related to imprisonment for the convicted for the indicated reasons, if the activities of these citizens did not harm the Soviet regime. 4) The Central Committee will make an additional decision on the fate of believers in custody and in prisons belonging to other confessions. Secretary of the Central Committee I. Stalin

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[–] • 0 pt

If I recall, most of the practitioners of the more “dangerous” sects of Christianity (the ones who opposed Emperor worship) had already been pretty much eradicated by this point. So, it wasn’t as though a massive threat existed.