Image: en.kremlin.ru
Irina du Quenoy, War On The Rocks: Christian Geopolitics and the Ukrainian Ecclesiastical Crisis
It is a cliché that the internal politics of the Orthodox Church are, well, Byzantine. And this current crisis, in which the ostensible bone of contention is the ecclesiastical independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is no different. Reflecting the complexities of the Orthodox world, the Ukrainian saga cannot be boiled down to a simple narrative with clear angels (freedom-loving Ukrainians fighting for religious and spiritual independence) and villains (an FSB-controlled, Putin-loving Moscow Patriarchate). In what follows, I seek to provide interested observers with a roadmap toward understanding the stakes in this situation.
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WNU Editor: First things first .... my religion is Russian Orthodox. The above post .... while long .... is one of the best that I have read so far that explains the division that now exist within the Orthodox Church. But if you want my abbreviated version, here it is. The Orthodox Church is made up of different Orthodox factions .... Greek Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Church, etc.. In this current dispute we have Ukrainian President Poroshenko .... who is a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church .... influencing Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (a minor church within the Orthodox community) to issue a directive to sever the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church. This has significance because the Ukraine government owns the land that these churches are built on, and they can now legally transfer these lands to the Ukraine Orthodox Church (a church that is more closely aligned to the Kiev government's view) .... while causing chaos for all the churches that are aligned to the Russian Orthodox Church. And it does not stop there. Russian President Putin .... a practicing Christian (Russian Orthodox faith), has now stepped in .... Putin Warns Of Consequences Over Orthodox Split (RFE). He even made sure that he was with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church laying flowers at a monument commemorating Russia's National Unity Day this Sunday .... Putin, Patriarch Kirill Lay Flowers On National Unity Day (RFE). What's my prediction for the future .... politics and religion when mixed never produce a satisfactory outcome. Ukrainian President Poroshenko wants a number of wedge issues when Ukrainians go to the polls next year, and he has certainly succeeded in creating one over religion.
