The problem of relations between the Roman Catholic Church, the society and the authorities in the chronological framework of XIX century attracted the attention of many specialists. Of course, such an interest in the institutions of Catholicism was not accidental. The stormy and oversaturated events century of the revolutions, the colonial empires and the formation of industrial civilization in Europe has had a tremendous influence on all Christian churches. Pre-revolutionary Russian scientists - theologians, philosophers, historians, jurists - contributed to the scientific discussion about the current state of the Roman Catholic Church. Moreover, this problem was Russia’s special sound. Relevance of the topic is caused by the necessity of understanding the relationship between Russia and the Vatican, which for centuries were not easy - they were closely linked to political events because Russian public interpreted Vatican primarily as an inspirer of the Western European states. The discourse of Russian studies as well as their context is analyzed. The peculiar attitude of Russian researchers to the Roman Catholic Church linked to the specific historical development of Russia and Western Europe, located at opposite ends of civilizational paradigm.