Rada requires renaming Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate

Ukraine’s parliament voted on Dec. 20 to require the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate to rename itself as the Russian
Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The legislation – drawing 240 votes compared to 226
needed – aims to ensure the state security and sovereignty of Ukraine, as well
as full and reliable information for the public, as indicated in its summary. A
religious organization whose headquarters is located in a state conducting
military aggression against Ukraine must reflect its affiliation in its full
name. Church clergy also won’t be allowed to be involved in the Ukrainian
military resistance so as not to transfer information to the enemy, the summary
said.

In response to the legislation, the Moscow
Patriarchate’s legal department issued a statement that alleged the bill’s
requirements violate the right to freedom of religion and discriminate against
millions of the church faithful. Ukraine is a secular state, which forbids
legislation that offers advantages or restrictions to one or another religious
group, the document said. “Forcing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to change its
name is nothing less than interfering in its activity, which can lead to
unpredictable consequences in society.”

That evening, Moscow Patriarchate Archbishop Klement
said it sees no basis in the legislation for changing its name, given that its
headquarters are based in Kyiv, not Moscow. “It’s not written anywhere that we
have a relationship, subordination or leadership with a foreign headquarters
where there is an aggressor state,” he said.

As his response to the legislation. Russian President
Putin told a Dec. 20 press conference that the Ukrainian government has
exceeded its authority in directly interfering in the religious life of its
people. He insisted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate is
independent, electing its own leadership, while the Constantinople Patriarchate
has made decisions on the new church’s leadership and finances. “I think that’s
the main motive of (Ecumenical Patriarch) Bartholomew, other than directives
from Washington, of course,” Putin said. “That the U.S. Secretary of State
called Kyiv on this matter and discussed this topic is beyond comprehension.”

Zenon Zawada: The church’s
renaming is intended by President Poroshenko to encourage laity and clergy to
begin the process of joining the newly created, canonical Orthodox Church of
Ukraine, creating the narrative that those who refuse to do so aren’t loyal to
the Ukrainian state or its people. Indeed hundreds of parishes will heed the
call, already being led by the eparchy of Vinnytsia, Ukraine’s 12th-largest
city (population 300K). The process of parishes joining the new church has been
deliberately timed with the election campaign so that voters will see in
Poroshenko leadership qualities that will prompt them to re-elect him.
Conflicts surrounding the new church’s creation are sure to be broadcast both
on Ukrainian and Russian television, intended on swaying Ukrainians towards
their respective geopolitical positions.

Poroshenko is counting on the residents of Ukraine’s
Russophile regions to use this opportunity to declare their firm Ukrainian
identity and support for statehood. However, as President Putin pointed out, this
attempt to unite Ukrainians under a single church may backfire as Orthodox
Christians in Ukraine’s Russophile cities – which are also most of Ukraine’s
largest urban centers (including Kharkiv and Odesa) – may simply refuse to do
so. This may create a permanent divide in Ukraine between those regions loyal
to Moscow, and those regions loyal to Kyiv. And this divide could end up
furthering Putin’s goal of dissolving the Ukrainian state and taking control of
Ukraine’s maritime coastline. Indeed the balance of Ukraine’s future lies in
these southeastern regions.