Reasons for the Rupture of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Moscow Patriarchate against the Backdrop of the War in Ukraine 2022

Abstract

The object of the study is provided by the conflict of interests of the Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-(MP) against the backdrop of the 2022 full-scale Russian war against Ukraine. The article considers the impact of new legislative initiatives aimed at minimizing the destructive Russian influence, including on the religious area. The main content and contradictions of certain points of the Decree of the Council of the UOC (MP) dated May 27, 2022, as a result of which the religious denomination declared independence from the Moscow Patriarchate, are analyzed. The main reasons for the rejection of the Moscow Patriarchate by the UOC and their influence on the decisions of church leaders are identified. Also included are the independent decisions of more than 400 UOC parishes to transfer to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In the context of illustrating the reasons for the refusal and contradictions, certain facts of the destruction by the Russian army of churches in Ukraine subordinate to the UOC-MP (friendly fire) are pointed out. This study is aimed at establishing the motives, results, and consequences of rethinking the subordination of one's own religious activity to a denomination that, despite its dependence on the Moscow Patriarchate, is actively functioning in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war