Courts, mobilization of priests and letters to Bartholomew: what is happening to the UOC in Ukraine

Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains at the center of one of Ukraine’s most acute internal conflicts: the court case about ban on the Kyiv Metropolisproblems with reserving priests from mobilization, disputes around churches and attempts to change the church map of the country through Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Officially, the authorities explain their actions by issues of national security and ties between the UOC and the Moscow Patriarchate. The UOC itself and among its supporters talk about religious discrimination and an attempt to oust the country’s largest Orthodox structure from public life.

Based on materials from the publication “Country”, author Denis Rafalsky.

The situation has long gone beyond the scope of a theological dispute. We are talking about the legal status of religious organizations, ownership of churches, access of the clergy to serve in the army and the future of millions of believers who continue to identify themselves with the UOC.

Court against the Kyiv Metropolis

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience is seeking through the court to terminate the activities of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC. The basis was the department’s position that the church structure retains signs of affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

For the UOC this process is of key importance. The Kyiv Metropolis is the central body of church government. Loss of legal entity status can affect accounts, lease agreements, utility relations, property registration and the operation of many dependent structures.

Representatives of the UOC call the process political and claim that the law banning religious organizations associated with centers in Russia is being used selectively. In GESS, on the contrary, they believe that The UOC is obliged to prove the actual break with the Moscow Patriarchate not through statements, but through legally formalized actions.

In parallel, the service began checking the Pochaev Lavra for possible affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church. The head of the GESS, Viktor Yelensky, stated that the reason was numerous appeals. It is possible that similar processes may begin in relation to individual dioceses.

Priests without armor

A separate conflict is associated with the mobilization of the clergy. Religious organizations of the UOC are not included in the list of critically important ones, therefore their clergy cannot use the draft reservation mechanism on the same grounds as representatives of the OCU, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish and other religious communities.

The GESS explains this for legal reasons: the structures of the UOC, according to the department, did not comply with the requirements of the law related to changing the names and charters of religious organizations whose leadership centers are located in the aggressor state. This is why they do not meet the criteria for critical designation. ZN.ua

The UOC considers this practice a form of pressure. According to Church representatives, a priest who does not have armor can be mobilized as an ordinary citizen, but does not have the opportunity to serve as a chaplain in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. What emerges is a rather peculiar state logic: a man in a cassock is suitable for mobilization, but not for pastoral service among the military.

Critics of this system point out that mobilization turns into a tool that indirectly pushes clergy to change church jurisdiction. The authorities do not officially confirm such goals.

Temples and the dispute over “transitions”

Conflicts around churches continue. Another episode occurred in Odessa, where representatives of the OCU announced the transfer of the community of the Alexander Nevsky Church to a new jurisdiction. The rector of the UOC challenged the legality of the meeting at which such a decision was made.

The parties interpret such cases in diametrically opposed ways. The OCU and among its supporters talk about the free transition of religious communities. The UOC calls some of these stories raider takeovers, when decisions are made without the participation of real parishioners, and access to the temple is provided by security structures.

This issue is perceived especially painfully in the western regions of Ukraine. Representatives of the UOC claim that some believers in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions are forced to gather for prayer in private houses and apartments. It is difficult to independently verify each such statement, but the very fact that worship is becoming the subject of political and administrative struggle speaks of the depth of the crisis.

Letter to Bartholomew and the idea of ​​stauropegia

In parallel, another line is developing: an attempt to remove some parishes from the subordination of the UOC and transfer them under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The reason was a letter from an organization calling itself the “Sofia Brotherhood” to Patriarch Bartholomew.

The authors of the appeal propose to consider the possibility of accepting individual communities under the direct omophorion of Constantinople in the status of stauropegians. This status means that the parish or monastery reports directly to the patriarch or synod, and not to the local diocese.

Proponents of the idea call stauropegia a temporary transitional mechanism that could reduce tensions and create space for rapprochement between believers of the UOC and OCU. Opponents see this as an attempt to accelerate the internal split of the UOC and create an alternative structure for those who are not ready to move to the OCU, but want to leave the current church vertical.

Is there a split within the UOC

Within the UOC there are indeed different views on the future strategy. After the Council in Feofania in May 2022, where the UOC declared independence from the Moscow Patriarchate, part of the clergy considers it necessary to go further: legally consolidate the gap, seek dialogue with Constantinople and develop a new model of existence.

Another part of the hierarchy believes that additional concessions will lead not to peace, but to the destruction of church unity. They advocate maintaining the current structure and believe that the UOC should survive political pressure without making decisions under the threat of bans, mobilization or confiscation of property.

So far, the compromise line does not look dominant. But the very fact of such discussions shows: pressure on the UOC comes not only through the courts and state institutions, but also through attempts to influence the internal balance of power among its episcopate and clergy.

The issue is no longer just a church issue

The conflict around the UOC looks less and less like a dispute over canonical formulations and more and more like a dispute about whether the state has the right to determine what kind of religious structure is acceptable for millions of believers.

Ukrainian authorities proceed from the fact that the church, which they consider to be associated with Moscow, cannot exist outside of control in conditions of war. Their opponents respond that the fight against potential Russian influence should not turn into collective punishment of priests and parishioners.

The courts, issues of mobilization, the struggle for churches and letters to Bartholomew show: they are trying to change the UOC in several directions at once. And even if the legal ban is not implemented quickly, the very environment around the Church is already changing. For believers, this means uncertainty. For the state – a new source of internal tension. And for politicians – another topic where faith too easily becomes part of an administrative campaign.

Source and basis of material: “Trials, mobilization of priests and letters to Bartholomew. What is happening today with the UOC”, “Country”, Denis Rafalsky. Additionally, open comments from the GESS and Ukrainian media were used. All assessments of the parties are given as their positions; lawsuits are ongoing.

Source link