Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Name	Orthodox Church of Ukraine autocephaly
Date	2018–2019
Location	Kyiv, Ukraine, Istanbul, Constantinople
Result	Granting of tomos by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; contested recognition

Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine The autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was a contested ecclesiastical development culminating in the grant of a tomos by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2019 that sought to establish an independent Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The process involved key actors such as Petro Poroshenko, Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, and institutions including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The move intersected with events like the Euromaidan, the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and the War in Donbas, producing wide theological, canonical, and geopolitical reverberations involving Russian Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Council, and regional states.

Background and historical context

The historical context reached back to the Christianization of Kievan Rus' (988) under Prince Vladimir the Great, the medieval ties to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and later developments in the Metropolia of Kyiv. Imperial and modern transformations included the Union of Brest, the Partitions of Poland, the Russian Empire, and decisions from the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Synod of Polotsk. The 1686 transfer of the Metropolis of Kyiv to the Moscow Patriarchate and subsequent actions during the Soviet Union era shaped ecclesial jurisdictions, involving figures like Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and institutions such as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The collapse of the Soviet Union and statehood of Ukraine reopened debates among entities including the Moscow Patriarchate, Constantinople, and national movements tied to politicians like Leonid Kravchuk and clerics like Filaret (Denysenko).

Move toward autocephaly (2018–2019)

Momentum accelerated under President Petro Poroshenko amid concerns about Russian influence following the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the War in Donbas. Poroshenko petitioned Bartholomew I of Constantinople for a tomos of autocephaly, coordinating with hierarchs from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and dissident bishops from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). Key events included the Unification Council (2018), election of Epiphanius I of Ukraine as head of the new church, and diplomatic exchanges involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and delegations to Istanbul.

Ecumenical Patriarchate's tomos and legal basis

The Ecumenical Patriarchate issued a tomos asserting canonical authority based on precedents such as the Ecumenical Councils and historical acts claiming the right to restore the Metropolis of Kyiv. The tomos cited documents and interpretations of canons debated by scholars and rival hierarchs from the Russian Orthodox Church and legal experts in canon law. Supporters referenced the primacy of the See of Constantinople in granting autocephaly, while opponents invoked the 1686 letters and decisions of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and subsequent treaties. The legal discourse drew upon precedents involving autocephalies of the Church of Greece, the Church of Serbia, the Church of Romania, and the Orthodox Church in America.

Reactions and recognition by other Orthodox Churches

Responses varied widely among autocephalous bodies including the Church of Greece, the Church of Cyprus, the Polish Orthodox Church, the Church of Alexandria, the Church of Antioch, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Georgian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. The Russian Orthodox Church severed communion with Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and organized boycotts with allied churches such as the Belarusian Orthodox Church and portions of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church clergy. Diplomatic actors including Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mikhail Saakashvili, and international organizations observed shifting alignments among Eastern Orthodox primates at meetings like the Pan-Orthodox Council debates and patriarchal synods.

Organizational and canonical consequences within Ukraine

Within Ukraine, institutional restructuring included the integration of hierarchs from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church into the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine led by Epiphanius I of Ukraine, while many parishes remained under the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). Property disputes invoked civil courts such as the Supreme Court of Ukraine and local administrations in Kyiv Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, Lviv Oblast, and Odesa Oblast. Clerical issues involved recognition of orders, the status of dioceses, monastic communities like Pochayiv Lavra and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and calendars debated between Julian calendar and Revised Julian calendar advocates. Legal questions included registration under Ukrainian law and ecclesiastical tribunals.

Political and social impact in Ukraine and Russia

Politically, the tomos influenced relations between Ukraine and Russian Federation, affecting diplomatic ties between Kyiv and Moscow, policy positions in the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and narratives in media outlets such as Rossiya 1 and BBC News. Socially, public opinion polls by institutions like the Razumkov Centre and Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed shifts in identification with ecclesial bodies, intersecting with national identity, language policy, and veterans' groups from the Donbas War. The move affected cultural heritage debates involving monuments, liturgical language, and education ministries in Ukraine and responses in Russia including statements from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and actions by the Russian State Duma.

Ongoing disputes and current status of recognition

Disputes continue over recognition among autocephalous churches such as the Church of Greece, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church, with periodic reconciliatory talks mediated by entities including the Ecumenical Patriarchate and informal contacts through primates like Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, and Porfirije of Serbia. Cases before secular courts, continued parish transfers, and patriarchal communiqués mark an evolving landscape involving the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and international observers including the European Court of Human Rights and diplomatic missions. The status remains one of partial recognition, contested jurisdiction, and active negotiation among the global network of Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Category:Orthodox Church of Ukraine