The Religious War in Ukraine
Even the church hasn’t been spared in the Russia-Ukraine War.
By Rena Mainetti
Last month, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a bill banning religious organizations with ties to Russia. The law specifically targets the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOCMP), established in 1990 as a self-governing church under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
The ban has sparked global controversy over the tension between religious freedom and national security.
Setting the Scene
For many years, the UOCMP was supported by the Ukrainian government. Its biggest benefactor was former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. In 1992, clergy who sought independence from the ROC set up the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, or the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOCKP). As relations between Russia and Ukraine deteriorated, tensions between the UOCMP and UOCKP grew. Ukrainians who were not religious began identifying as members of the UOKCP on purely patriotic grounds.
In 2018, Poroshenko attempted to end tensions by creating the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) under the jurisdiction of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. He hoped that the UOCMP and the OCU would eventually merge under this new church.
Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, however, ended any chance of unification. Many patriotic Ukrainians remain angered and suspicious of the UOCMP’s ties to Moscow.
War and Religion
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill, head of the ROC, threw his support behind President Vladimir Putin’s war efforts. In September 2022, Kirill assured the Russian soldiers that “sacrifice in the course of carrying out your military duty washes away all sins.”
The UOCMP attempted to display its independence from Moscow by directly condemning the war as a violation of God’s commandments but have not officially broken with the ROC.
To make matters worse, many UOCMP members, including clergy, openly sided with Russia. In one case, a senior UOCMP clergyman attended a ceremony held at the Kremlin to celebrate the annexation of Ukrainian territories.
A New Law
On August 20, Ukraine’s Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the bill banning the UOCMP. As of May 2024, the UOCMP has over ten thousand parishes in Ukraine compared to the OCU’s 8,075. Survey data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicates that 63 percent of Ukrainians support the ban.
The law provides for a nine-month transition period in which the UOCMP must merge with the OCU or fully separate itself from Moscow. If the church fails to do this, they will be prohibited from operating in Ukraine.
National Security and Religious Freedom
Debates over whether national security concerns can result in religious freedom being taken away. Many believe Zelensky has taken the issue to far, while others are in full support of the ban. In addition, Some Orthodox leaders in NATO nations such as Romania and Bulgaria fail to recognize the OCU and view it as a political creation.
In terms of national security, the ban adds several strategic concerns. If the UOCMP is banned, there is every possibility that many of its churches will continue to operate underground. Forcing members of the church to hide their faith is dangerous. Hostile feelings towards Kyiv may arise, potentially opening the door for Russian infiltration.
The law itself is complicated to carry out. Each church represents a separate legal entity and enforcement of the ban will result in thousands of legal issues and procedures.
The situation is complex. Russia is using the ROC to disrupt affairs in Ukraine. Ukraine’s response, however, places national security issues over the religious freedom of its citizens. As the war develops, the social fabric of both nations continues to fracture. Religious tolerance and freedom is begin threatened on both sides.
About the Author
Rena Mainetti is a senior political science major at Grove City College. She is a student research fellow at the Institute for Faith and Freedom and the social media and marketing coordinator of Checkpoint. Rena is a member of GCC’s American Enterprise Institute Executive Council, an executive editor for the Journal of Law and Public Policy, an athlete on the varsity women’s swim and dive team, and a TA in the political science department for Dr. Caleb Verbois.
Over the summer of 2022, Rena interned as an intelligence analyst for private data firm Zero Trafficking using Open-Source Intelligence to discover domestic human trafficking networks. In the summer of 2023, Rena interned at the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. There, she assisted with research and writing and she also completed the American Enterprise Institute’s Summer Honors Program. Upon graduation, Rena hopes to continue her studies in national security and eventually pursue a career in foreign policy.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer alone and they do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grove City College, the Institute for Faith and Freedom, or their affiliates.