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Two Churches, Two Pathways:
OCU and UOC
On January 6, 2019, in the Church of St. George in Istanbul, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed the Tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), including it in the diptych of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. For Kyiv, this marked a new page in history, but for Moscow it was a blow,
a "split of the Orthodox people," which, according to the Russian church, only Russia has the right to rule.
a "split of the Orthodox people," which, according to the Russian church, only Russia has the right to rule.
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for almost eight centuries opposed the existence of an independent Ukrainian patriarchy and discredited it in every way. The creation of the OCU finally pushed the ROC beyond the borders of the Ukrainian state, but Moscow, not wanting to lose its influence, came up with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).
The data presented below indicate that since the proclamation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the UOC has had a significant numerical superiority both in terms of the number of places of worship and the number of clergy.
The data presented below indicate that since the proclamation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the UOC has had a significant numerical superiority both in terms of the number of places of worship and the number of clergy.
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However, according to the survey, in 2019, the number of parishioners of the OCU constituted 20% of the population of Ukraine, which is 4% higher than the number of parishioners of the UOC. Another study, held in July 2022, recorded an increase in the number of parishioners of the OCU up to 52% of the Ukrainian population, while the flock of the UOC was only 4%. These data indicate that a more developed organizational structure did not at all contribute to the attractiveness of the UOC. Year after year, Moscow was rapidly losing ground on the issue of Ukrainian adherents, and the military invasion of Ukraine only expectedly accelerated this process.
It is noteworthy that in a global Orthodoxy, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate does not exist at all. A sign of an autocephalous church is that during worship, the primate lists by name the primates of other churches of his patriarchate. For example, at a service in the Alexandrian or Georgian Orthodox Church, the name of the OCU Metropolitan Epiphanius will be remembered, thus recognizing him as an equal. However, the head of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Onufry, is not mentioned by any church, even the Russian one. The reason is that everyone understands that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not independent, it is only a part of the ROC.
Thus, both figures and facts indicate that the UOC-MP was not created for the sake of spreading and strengthening the Orthodox faith. This church is a repeater of Moscow propaganda in Ukraine. For example, during searches by the SBU in November 2022, a lot of pro-Russian literature that rejected the independence and legitimacy of the existence of Ukraine was found in the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. Another investigation by "Bihus.Info" team revealed that the UOC-MP clergy actively helped the occupiers – they corrected artillery, extradited "infidel" Ukrainians, and even consecrated Russian military equipment. After the de-occupation, some of the clergy fled to Russia, others stayed and continued to preach in Ukraine (in Russian). Nevertheless, the security service and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine will gradually bring all traitors to justice. As a result, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate may soon face the risk of extinction.
It is noteworthy that in a global Orthodoxy, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate does not exist at all. A sign of an autocephalous church is that during worship, the primate lists by name the primates of other churches of his patriarchate. For example, at a service in the Alexandrian or Georgian Orthodox Church, the name of the OCU Metropolitan Epiphanius will be remembered, thus recognizing him as an equal. However, the head of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Onufry, is not mentioned by any church, even the Russian one. The reason is that everyone understands that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not independent, it is only a part of the ROC.
Thus, both figures and facts indicate that the UOC-MP was not created for the sake of spreading and strengthening the Orthodox faith. This church is a repeater of Moscow propaganda in Ukraine. For example, during searches by the SBU in November 2022, a lot of pro-Russian literature that rejected the independence and legitimacy of the existence of Ukraine was found in the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. Another investigation by "Bihus.Info" team revealed that the UOC-MP clergy actively helped the occupiers – they corrected artillery, extradited "infidel" Ukrainians, and even consecrated Russian military equipment. After the de-occupation, some of the clergy fled to Russia, others stayed and continued to preach in Ukraine (in Russian). Nevertheless, the security service and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine will gradually bring all traitors to justice. As a result, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate may soon face the risk of extinction.
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