Throughout the last few decades, the Greek Orthodox Church has been at the center of a great deal of debate regarding its relationship to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a very important part of the Orthodox world. It is a very popular religious group in Ukraine, and is one of the largest Christian groups in the country.
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Schism
Patriarch of Constantinople has issued a sweeping report that is expected to give the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autonomy. The report was published on October 11, and confirms the Patriarch’s intention to grant autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine. It also restores in rank the leaders of the Ukrainian schism.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has recognized the autonomy of the Orthodox Metropolis of Kiev, as well as of two church structures, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and the Kyiv Monastery of Caves. This recognition is expected to help facilitate the reunification of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The schism between the Greek Orthodox Church and Ukraine is a historical struggle for status. The two halves of the Church had differing approaches to religious doctrines and liturgical practices.
The dispute between Moscow and Kyiv Patriarchates has been growing in recent years. After Russia invaded Ukraine and annexated Crimea, the dispute was a serious one. President Poroshenko claimed that Ukraine had received a long-awaited Tomos, but the Russian Orthodox Church has severed ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate and refused to participate in multilateral commissions.
Autocephaly claims
Whether or not the Ecumenical Patriarch grants autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is an issue that has been in the news for quite some time. It is a very complex matter, with many different players involved. The Orthodox Church is divided over the issue. It is not uncommon for two main Orthodox churches to be split.
Constantinople is the traditional center of Eastern Orthodoxy, but Moscow has been in schism with Constantinople for almost a century. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was illegally annexed by the Russian Church in 1686.
In 1993, the Orthodox world agreed that there should be a “pan-orthodox” consensus, but that it should be decided on a unanimous basis. The Orthodox Church does not recognize the Pope as supreme.
The Pan-Orthodox Council began planning in the 1960s, but it was moved from Istanbul to Crete. It required unanimous approval of all documents. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is concerned about the actions of the Patriarch of Constantinople, which has led to a dispute among the founders of the church.
Christianization of kyivan rus
During the tenth century, the Church of Kievan Rus’ began to Christianize. It became an influential confederation of city-states in Eastern Europe. The church adopted Byzantine art and architecture and became allied with the Byzantine Empire. It was also sometimes a rival.
The conversion of the Rus’ to Christianity took place in a number of stages. The Virgin of Vladimir is a relic of the Christianization of the Rus’, but her story is only a part of the larger story of the conversion of the Rus’ to Orthodox Christianity. The story of Vladimir’s baptism is told in several sources, including the legend of Korsun’, a Greek town in the Crimea.
Prince Vladimir I of Kiev converted to Christianity from paganism. In 988, he married the sister of Basil II. Basil II promised the hand of Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir if the prince’s family were freed from Chersonesos, a Greek colony in Crimea.
During this time, Prince Vladimir established a national religion, Christianity in the Byzantine-Slavic rite. This was the first major step in the Christianization of Kievan Rus’.
Annexation of the crimea peninsula
During the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church diocese in Crimea was the only public institution linking Crimea to mainland Ukraine. The diocese has six parishes and four plots of land.
Crimea is a peninsula in the Black Sea south of Ukraine. It is connected to the mainland by a ten-mile wide strip of land. It has natural sources of limestone and salt, and is well watered by rivers flowing from the southern mountains. It was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1784. It was later included in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954, laying the groundwork for the modern conflict over Crimean sovereignty.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church diocese in Crimea has always been a minority religious institution, but its membership has grown over the years. Its leading media outlets have been referring to it as the “New Church” of Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of Justice of Russia, as of the end of the year, 891 religious organizations were registered in Crimea. The Russian government has also identified various religious groups in Crimea.
