Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
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| Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) | |
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.png) Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) · Public domain · source | |
| Name | Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) |
| Native name | Українська Православна Церква (Московський Патріархат) |
| Type | Eastern Orthodox Church (jurisdictional body) |
| Headquarters | Kyiv |
| Language | Church Slavonic, Ukrainian, Russian |
| Leader title | Metropolitan |
| Leader name | Onufriy (Berezovsky) (until 2022–2024 period changes) |
| Parent organization | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Founded | 1686 (contested origins); reconstitutions in 1990, 1991 |
| Territory | Ukraine |
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is an Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction historically linked to the Russian Orthodox Church and long present in Kyiv and across Ukraine. It claimed autonomy within the canonical structure of Eastern Orthodoxy while maintaining institutional, liturgical, and clerical ties to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Church played a central role in religious life, cultural identity, property disputes, and political controversies, especially after the Euromaidan protests, the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
History
The church traces contested roots to the 1686 transfer of the Metropolis of Kyiv from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Patriarchate of Moscow, a point disputed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and modern Ukrainian national churches. In the 19th century the Russian Empire integrated Orthodox institutions across Right-bank Ukraine and Left-bank Ukraine under the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 and Soviet anti-religious campaigns under leaders such as Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, Ukrainian ecclesiastical structures experienced suppression, reorganization, and secret ordinations. During the Soviet era the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) emerged as competing entities alongside the Moscow-aligned hierarchy. In 1990–1991, amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence, the Moscow-affiliated bishops in Ukraine reconstituted as an autonomous body while remaining under the Moscow Patriarchate. After the Euromaidan movement and the Revolution of Dignity (2013–2014), tensions escalated between pro-Moscow clergy and proponents of an independent Ukrainian church, culminating in the 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism and the 2018–2019 actions of Ecumenical Patriarchate leaders that led to the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2019. The Moscow-affiliated church responded with severed communion and contested jurisdictional claims.
Organization and Administration
The church maintained an internal hierarchical structure modeled on the Russian Orthodox Church with dioceses (eparchies) overseen by bishops and a synodal governing body. At the apex stood the Metropolitan of Kyiv, historically a figure with both religious and social influence, often interacting with figures such as Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Petro Poroshenko, and other Ukrainian political leaders. The administrative apparatus included seminaries and theological academies that cooperated with institutions in Moscow, such as the Moscow Theological Academy, while maintaining diocesan offices in regional centers like Lviv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and Dnipropetrovsk. Parishes conducted services in Church Slavonic and Ukrainian; clerical ranks included deacons, priests, archpriests, and monastics with monasteries linked historically to sites like the Pechersk Lavra and Holy Dormition Cathedral complexes. Canonical courts, ecclesiastical commissions, and relations with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and local administrations mediated property and personnel matters.
Doctrine and Practices
Doctrinally the church adhered to the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the Nicene Creed, and liturgical traditions of Slavic Orthodoxy as practiced by the Russian Orthodox Church. Sacraments—Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Unction—were celebrated according to the Byzantine Rite typified in regional usages shared with the Belarusian Orthodox Church and Polish Orthodox Church. Feast days followed the Julian calendar for many parishes, aligning with observances in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The church upheld teachings on ecclesiology, sacramental theology, and monasticism consistent with canonical commentators such as Saint John of Kronstadt and Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, while contemporary theological education engaged with modern scholars from institutions including the Moscow State University faculty of theology and Ukrainian academies.
Relations with Other Orthodox Churches and the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and other autocephalous bodies were strained after 2018. The Moscow-aligned hierarchy contested the legitimacy of the 1686 transfer and rejected the 2019 Tomos of Autocephaly granted to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, precipitating ruptures in inter-Orthodox communion involving the Church of Greece, Romanian Orthodox Church, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church. Bilateral dialogues, pan-Orthodox commissions, and synodal statements—invoking precedents from councils and canons—were used to defend canonical positions. Tensions also involved the World Council of Churches and diplomatic exchanges with states such as Russia and Turkey.
Role in Ukrainian Society and Politics
The church has been a significant actor in cultural life, education, and social charity across regions including Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, and Crimea. Parishes and monasteries provided social services, charity, and humanitarian aid during crises such as the Donbas conflict and the 2022 invasion, often cooperating with NGOs and international religious organizations. Political controversies involved accusations of clerical support for Russian policy by critics and defenses of pastoral neutrality by church leaders. Debates over identity, language, and national allegiance manifested in clergy alignments with political figures and parties, interactions with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and public statements during elections and national commemorations like Independence Day (Ukraine).
Property, Legal Status, and Post-2022 Developments
Property disputes involving monasteries, cathedrals, parish churches, and cemeteries have featured litigation in Ukrainian courts and administrative decisions by ministries such as the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine; cases referenced landmarks like the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and the Sofia Cathedral. After the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the onset of full-scale hostilities in 2022, Ukrainian authorities introduced legal measures affecting jurisdictions linked to Moscow, including sanctions, re-registration requirements, and steps to transfer properties to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine or state custodianship. Several bishops and clergy faced criminal investigations, administrative bans, or calls for lustration by Ukrainian security services such as the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). International reactions included statements by the European Union and United Nations bodies about religious freedom. The war accelerated realignments: some parishes declared affiliation with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine while others retained ties to Moscow, producing ongoing litigation, mediation efforts, and ecclesiastical negotiations with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.