Women, religion and the war

Abstract

Religion has played a key role in Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The various Orthodox Churches present on the territory of Ukraine have taken opposite stands on the war. While the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarch have openly and fervently supported the aggression, although their jurisdiction extends to some Ukrainian faithful, the other Ukrainian Orthodox Churches have generally opposed and condemned it, sometimes in the harshest tones. These political divisions have been noticed among church leaders, clergy members, and laypeople. This article discusses the role of religion in Russia's war against Ukraine, the religion of Ukrainian women refugees in Romania, and the ways in which religious practices have adapted to fit these women's new migration reality. The article reports data collected in personal interviews conducted in select Romanian cities in July–August 2022.