Photo: AP Photo/Alexander ZemlianichenkoWhile people are dying in Ukraine, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill talks about the perverted West and the pernicious influence of the gay parade, the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epiphany compares Putin to Hitler, and the Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Onufriy desperately calls on Putin to end the fratricidal war "which is not justified neither God nor man"
Analyzing the Ukrainian reality in the post-Soviet years, there are not a few who will say that the country was divided on (too) many grounds, but they somehow managed to maintain unity. Except when it comes to two "regions" - Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the religious situation.
When it comes to the complex relations between the Orthodox in Ukraine, they can be roughly described as follows: during the twentieth century, there were several attempts by Ukrainians to obtain an autocephalous church that is not connected to the Moscow Patriarchate; in the early 1990s, the non-canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate was created (1992), and of course the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UPC-MP) continued to exist on the territory of the country; there was another non-canonical church - the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
At the end of 2018, to the surprise of a good part of the Orthodox world, the Ecumenical Patriarch, at the request of the then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, granted autocephaly to the Orthodox believers in Ukraine, without even asking the Russian Orthodox Church. Tomos, the decree on autocephaly, arrived at the beginning of January 2019 and thus the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU) was born. It is headed by Metropolitan Epiphanius.
From that moment on, there was something new in Ukraine, that is, something that was previously reserved only for the diaspora - two Churches, each of which has a confirmed canonical status at least from the works of the other Orthodox.
And it's just as complicated as it sounds.
Orthodox churches and Russian aggression
These three Churches are directly affected by the conflict - the RPC, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UPC MP) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU). PCU Metropolitan Epiphanius, of course, strongly condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine, comparing Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler.
Patriarch Kirill calls for peace, and his silence and speeches a day or two before the start of the war are seen as clear support for Putin. While Ukrainian cities are being destroyed, he spoke, in one of the first Sunday sermons, about the perverted West and the moral integrity of the Orthodox, which must be defended.
However, it is certainly the most difficult today to be in the shoes of Metropolitan UPC-MP Onufrije, who stated already in the first days: "A disaster has happened." Unfortunately, Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine (…) please forget mutual disputes and misunderstandings and unite in love for God and our Motherland. Defending the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, we appeal to the President of Russia and ask him to immediately end the fratricidal war (…) Such a war is not justified by God or people."
This cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church today helps the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army, while, according to reports, every day a large number of believers, parishes and monasteries transfer from the UPC MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (that is, the one to which Constantinople gave autocephaly). According to the only survey available so far, conducted by Ukrainian sociologists, more than half of the believers of the UPC MP would like to sever ties with Moscow.
More and more requests for autocephaly
There are also voices from other post-Soviet republics and they also demand the severing of ties with the Republic of Croatia, i.e. they demand autocephaly. Also, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is getting more and more support.
The line of division between the Orthodox churches is getting sharper. Although it has been talked about since 2019, the word "split" is increasingly tangible on the ground.
Most see that division as a division between the Slavic and Greek churches, although there are more nuances. Some try, with the superficiality that such representations bring with them, to present it as a clear division between conservatives and liberals, between East and West.
Patriarch Vatrolomej, as reported by the portal orthodoxtimes.com, speaking at the end of last year about the giving of tomos to Ukrainian believers, but also about the history of church relations in general, said: "We Christianized the Russians, not to mention that we also civilized them." On the other hand, while people in Ukraine are dying, Patriarch Kirill talks about the dangers of the gay parade.
And the appeal of several hundred priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, who among other things wrote: "The terrible judgment awaits every man, is resounding powerfully." (…) Concerned for the salvation of every person who considers himself a child of the Russian Orthodox Church, we do not want him to appear at this judgment, carrying the heavy burden of maternal curses (…) We mourn the trials to which our brothers and sisters in Ukraine were undeservedly subjected. We remind you that every human life is a priceless and unique gift from God, and that is why we want all soldiers - both Russian and Ukrainian - to return to their homes and families safe and sound. We think bitterly about the abyss that our children and grandchildren in Russia and Ukraine will have to overcome in order to start socializing, respecting and loving each other again."
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