the religious orientation of Ukraine. And if Russia occupies the country, religious freedom will be one of the many casualties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the common Orthodox character of
Russia and Ukraine in his arguments for closer alignment. Ukraine is
unique in that several expressions of eastern Christianity are practiced
there. On one side is the Russian Orthodox Church and its Ukrainian
denomination, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate. On the
other is the Orthodox Church of Ukraine-Kyiv Patriarchate.
Putin’s efforts to restore Russian prestige have included elevating
the Russian Orthodox Church to the center of Russian identity while also
undermining the independence of the Moscow Patriarch. Putin’s Ukraine
scheme included leveraging the potential religious soft power of the
Moscow-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate.According
to the Orthodox Times, Russia used disinformation campaigns to stir conflict between the churches.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine becoming free was a declaration of
independence from foreign influence and achieved greater religious
freedom. Then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared that
autocephaly was another example of Ukraine pivoting away from Moscow and toward Europe. In response, the Russian Orthodox Church cut all relations with the Ecumenical Patriarch, threatening to split Orthodoxy.
With war at hand, these religious battles will recede to the
background for the time being. However, people on both sides are turning
to their faith. Images
of Ukrainians praying throughout the country were posted on Twitter on
Wednesday (Feb. 23) when the attack started. Other, non-Orthodox
Christians noted how
Christians on both sides are fighting: “Tanks are rolling down from
Russia, Russian Orthodox priests are blessing the tanks,” while
“Ukrainian Orthodox priests are blessing the Ukrainian soldiers to fight
against Russia.” RNS
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