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The schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.
→History
The Renovated Church [[deposition|deposed]] Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the [[Holy Synod]] (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy.
The undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggle struggled much against the [[patriarch]] and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries.
In an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On [[June 25]], 1923 he was set free. Worshipers Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the [[schism]] of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. The schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.
==See also==
*[[Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church]]