Friday, February 18, 2022

How Russia-Ukraine conflict is playing out in the Orthodox Church

Lead story

An Orthodox priest in black attire at a protest rally in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Editor's note:

The story of how two Orthodox churches emerged in Ukraine – and the conflicts between them – sheds light on the broader tensions playing out between Ukraine and Russia. 

The older and larger church is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate, which is under the spiritual authority of Moscow. The other is the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was recognized as a separate and equal member of the worldwide communion of Orthodox churches in January 2019.

J. Eugene Clay, a scholar at Arizona State University who studies the religious history of Russia and Ukraine, writes about how each church claims to be the “one true Ukrainian Orthodox Church for the Ukrainian people” and how that reflects two competing historical visions of the relationship between Russians and Ukrainians.

A picture of Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion & Ethics Editor for The Conversation U.S.
 

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Priests read prayers in honour of St.Haralampus, as believers gather around candles stuck to jars of honey, arranged in a cross shape, during Mass for the 'sanctification of honey' at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Church in the town of Blagoevgrad, south of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022.

Priests read prayers in honour of St.Haralampus, as believers gather around candles stuck to jars of honey, arranged in a cross shape, during Mass for the 'sanctification of honey' at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Church in the town of Blagoevgrad, south of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the feast of St. Haralampus, the Orthodox patron saint of bee-keepers, by performing a ritual for health and rich harvest. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

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  • This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
  • The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
 
 

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