Autocephalous Orthodox Church Research Articles

Автокефалия Украинской православной церкви как инструмент обострения российско-украинского территориально-политического конфликта

The study discusses the fact of granting autoceph-aly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the Patri-arch of Constantinople as a political move aimed at aggravating Russian-Ukrainian relations at the pre-sent stage. The authors note the following reasons for this decision: the struggle of Constantinople and Moscow for primacy in the Orthodox world, the ge-opolitical factors in Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the role of the USA as a destabilizing factor in Rus-sian-Ukrainian relations, an appeal of the President of Ukraine P. Poroshenko to Ukrainian autocephaly issue as a key point in his election program in terms of low public approval rating. Based on sociological data, the research examines the spiritual and reli-gious influence of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches opposing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, i.e. the Ukrainian Auto-cephalous Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Ortho-dox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, and the Ukrain-ian Uniate Church. In conclusion, the study presents two possible development scenarios: Polish (the autocephalous church will later return to the Rus-sian Orthodox Church) and Lithuanian ones (the spiritual confrontation of churches will develop against the background of aggravating geopolitical contradictions in the region).

UKRAINIAN CHURCH MUSIC: THE ISSUE OF LANGUAGE

The article considers developmen to fUkrainian church music from the perspective of the accompanying linguistic processes. The issue of liturgical language was actualized when Ukraine gained its independence,Ukrainian churches (the Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Greek Catholic Church) resume dtheir work, and new church organizations appeared. The linguistic issue assumed critical importance with the restoration of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Ukrainianization of all areas of church life is also reflected in church music and determines certain tendencies of its present-day existence. At the same time, certain traditions left their marks on the spiritual heritage of Ukrainian composers, who worked in different confessional and political circumstances. The purpose of the proposed article is to highlight the dynamics of linguistic changes that accompanied Ukrainian church music at various stages of its creation, and to identify the specificity of its functioning in modern conditions. The following methods are used for this purpose: the method of retrospective (to explore the processes of historical development of Ukrainian church music),the comparative historical method(to reveal the general tendencies of the liturgical language evolution in different parts of Ukraine in a particular historical period), the method of musical and textual analysis for considering the texts of church musical compositions and identifying the historical features of their text fixation), the linguistic method (to analyze linguistic phenomena in church music). Scientific novelty. The study validates a significant influence of linguistic processes that accompanied the evolution of Ukrainian church music on the modern practice of liturgical singing. The logic of historical development proves an indisputable vector for Ukrainianization of the church life of Ukrainians. At the present stage we can talk about Ірина МАТІЙЧИН ISSN 2078-6794. Вісник Львівського університету. Серія мист-во. 2019. Вип. 20 79 convergence of two tendencies in Ukrainization of church music: the performance of ancient song samples in Church Slavonic with Ukrainian pronunciation; the performance of ancient church songs translated into Ukrainian, as well as the performance of liturgical and paraliturgical songs written in Ukrainian. Conclusions. Preserving an original linguistic basis in old compositions, liturgical singing becomes a conservative element of church services, because it prolongs an active life of the Church Slavonic language, in which a wide array of Ukrainian church songs was written.

The works of Metropolitan Eleutherius (Vorontsov) on the creation of the Czechoslovak Autocephalous Orthodox Church

Журнал «Вопросы теологии» — международный академический журнал по теологии. Журнал ориентирован на развитие всех направлений и областей, входящих в исследовательскую отрасль «Теология», прежде всего в том варианте, в каком она развивается в светских вузах и научно-исследовательских структурах, а также в духовных академиях.

Межконфессиональные объединения в Украине в конце ХХ – начале ХХI в.

In the article the processes of forming of interconfessional associations are investigated in Ukraine in the period of independence. It is indicated that the complex comprehension of this theme is absent in historiography. Certain scientists spoke to indicated issue contextually and episodically.Determined, that forming of interconfessional structures in Ukraine began in 1990th. Among the first such associations there were Interconfessional Council of Crimea and All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations. At the beginning of XXI century Ukrainian Interchurch Council, Conference of representatives of Christian Churches of Ukraine, Council of evangelic protestant churches of Ukraine, All-Ukrainian Council of Christian Churches, Council of representatives of the Spiritual managements and centers of moslems of Ukraine, All-Ukrainian Council of religious associations, were also formed in Ukraine.
 It is marked that on December, 15 in 2018 on Unifying Cathedral in Kyiv on the base of the Ukrainian orthodox church of Kievan patriarchy and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Orthodox Church of Ukraine was created. Regarding this appeared a necessity of reorganizations of those interconfessional associations, which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kievan patriarchy and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox church entered as a part of.
 It is marked that in the last years in Ukraine next to common Ukrainian interconfessional associations the tendency of creation of regional interconfessional religious structures gets spreading. They mainly come forward as advisory institutions at local public authorities.
 It is described, that activity of interconfessional structures in Ukraine at the end of XX – at the beginning of XXI centuries became an important condition both for development of interconfessional relations and for adjusting of effective model state confessional relations. Besides that, functioning of interconfessional associations became important in the context of state creative activity in Ukraine in the newest days. Exactly at this time, in the conditions of democratization and forming of civil society, church religious organizations grew into important social institution.

З ЖИТТЯ ДУБОВИЧ: РЕПРЕСІЇ ПРОТИ ЦЕРКВИ В 1920-1930-Х РР.

In the article, the author reveals fragments of the study about repressions of the 1920s and 1930s against the churches, as an institution of society, against the clergy, church services, active parishioners of one of the settlements in Sumy Region(Dubovichi village). Self-identification and peaceful living under the laws of honor in the socialist regime led to the destruction of employed citizens and clergy who lived by vocation and by traditional moral principles. After all, it was they - conscious citizens, intellectuals, who "threaten" the terrorist plot of the Bolshevik authorities on the territory of Ukraine. Special attention was to the citizens who supported Tikhonovsk and Ukrainian autocephalous Orthodox churches. The parishioners of these churches were in principle affirmative. "Tikhonovtsi" decided religious uncompromising, "autocephalous" were nationalistic. Those and others did not perceive the Bolsheviks. Both opposed the political regime. Everyone who was in contact or was attached to these groups was prosecuted and arrested with special severity. Under the repressions were relatives and neighbors. Blackmail of single persons and family, voluminous and falsification documents, taking hostages. That was happening with all who was not controlled during the formation of the Soviet power. Over the 50 people from Dubovichi village and their families fell under the pressure of repressions. Most of them were sentenced to death. Just few of them returned from exile and settled in distant places from their native village. Dubovichi village has a centuries-long history. Best known it is in the religious environment through the icon of Dubovytsi's Mother of God. The miraculous image of the Virgin was discovered in the middle of the 17th century. And the glory about it spread far beyond the then Russian empire. Church leaders from Kiev, from Chernigov gathered at the procession during the celebrations of 1861. The pilgrimage to the icon in Dubovich was round-the-year. Copies from the list of the Virgin Mary Dubovitskaya were in the St. Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv. Information about the icon was printed in church calendars and metropolitan directories of pilgrims. The grand stone church of the Nativity of the Virgin in 1777 in the center of the village, it was the pease of architectural art that was rare in the countryside. As evidenced by foreign sources, the parish church was kind of fortress. It was surrounded by a brick fence with four towers in corners. The entrance to the churchyard was through the gates that were under the bell. There were burials around the temple. Marble monuments were raised on the graves. Icons in the temple were in different kyots, precious stones. Church property included a number of priest clothing, silverware. In the village there were three temples. This provided the opportunity for the parish to have six priests, several clerks and psalms in the state. All were destroyed until 1940, despite the architectural value of the builders and the ancients. Dubovichi parish numbered more than three thousand people at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was glorified by the numerous, beautiful choir, active citizens. The church library was more than 2000 volumes. The priests performed not only the need. Archpriest Gusakovsky was the head of refuge. The village choir numbered more than 60 people. There was a spiritual orchestra, a theater group, a hut-reading room, a rural school and a parochial school, and a folk school in the village. Also there was paramedic station, veterinarian, pharmacy. The hospital unit numbered up to 10 beds. Tolerance and high moral consciousness were typical for the people of Dubovichi. Not only Orthodox lived in the village . Archival documents indicate that the daughter of the priest was offended with the Catholic. Jews lived in Dubovichi. The social group was represented. There were Gypsies among the participants of the school. Those were posterity of that who survived and took good place in life of theatre. Able to analyze falsifications of the campaign to destroy the Dubovichi parish, the destruction of church buildings- works of architectural art. Information from directories, archival documents and old people's buildings allows us to reconstruct conditionally events of those times. The author for the first time highlights this page of the Dubovichi life. As well as information from recently declassified documents from archives of higher authorities on the repressed residents of Dubovichi village. Human losses, disadvantaged families, tales of reletives about Soviet Union. All this make a mosaic of the historical stratum of our country. The coverage of this problem somehow outlines the massive crimes of Soviet politics in the 1920's and 1930's. It is a tribute to those who sacredly keep memories of the repressed.

Cerkiew greckokatolicka na Pomorzu Zachodnim ćwierć wieku po akcji „Wisła” w świetle sprawozdań Wydziałów do Spraw Wyznań

The deportation of the Ukrainian population to former German territoties was to facilitate the process of its assimilation. The religious separateness of the Ukrainian community, among which the Greek Catholics predominated, hindered the implementation of these plans. The religious policy defined by the communist party aimed at the complete liquidation of the Greek Catholic Church by supporting the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church. De-Stalinization, however, liberalized the position towards Greek Catholics. Although state authorities did not legalize this religion, they allowed to organize informal pastoral centers. A quarter of a century after Operation Vistula in Western Pomerania, there were fifteen of them. The existence of Greek Catholic pastoral centers not only crossed out the assumptions of the state’s religious policy, but first of all prevented the assimilation of the Ukrainian population. Textus et

PROBLEMS OF SEPARATION UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH FROM THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE

The modern problems of obtaining autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are analyzed. The centennial struggle for autocephaly of the UOC proves that the problem of obtaining independence from the Russian Orthodox Church îf the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP) is very complicated, both according to the legislation of Ukraine and the canons of the church law. The Kyiv metropolis was an integral part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from 988 to 1686, when it was, from the point of view of many Orthodox churches, illegally and not canonically annexed to the Moscow Patriarchate. In this movement the Orthodox Church was divided into three separate churches – the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which now calls itself simply «the UOC»; UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate (KP), established in 1992 and not recognized by the Ecumenical Orthodoxy as canonical and God-inspired, and The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), which arose in 1919-1921. It should be noted that in the period of the Ukrainian Revolutions of 2004 and 2014 and at the beginning of the war in the Eastern Ukraine, the hierarchs of the UOC-MP organized an open antiUkrainian and anti-constitutional campaign, both behind the walls of temples, and at mass events. During the presidential election, this church illegally campaigned for one a pro-Russian Candidate only. In these conditions, the question of the separation of the UOC from the Moscow Patriarchate became more pressing and urgent.Proponents of autocephaly point out that the grounds for granting UOC Tomos for autocephaly are identical to that of the Polish version of 1924. However, we consider the obvious difficulties that distinguish the situation with Orthodoxy in Ukraine, compared with the UOC of Poland. In order to make the Russian Orthodox Church not to interfere in the internal affairs of Ukraine, not to agitate against the state of Ukraine, include in the name of the UOC the phrase that it is an Orthodox Church in Ukraine with a center abroad – in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine two bills – No. 4511 and No. 5309, which since 2016 it was never accepted, because they duplicate the existing Law and contradict Art. 35 of the Constitution. However, as we see, de facto the ROC (MP), directly and indirectly, is campaigning for so-called – «Russian World». For example, just recently the Russian edition of «Orthodoxy and World» published an interview with a member of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and a supporter of Ukrainian autocephaly by the Metropolitan of Prussia Elpidophor, from which the publication dropped unwanted phrases.On April 22, 2018, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate adopted a petition from the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to give Tomos on autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Resolution in support of this appeal, and the appeal of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches – KP and UAOC and some of the ÌPs. Similar Tomos is now awaiting northern Macedonia. History shows that the procedure for the delivery of Tomos for autocephaly is not easy, long-term.The analysis shows that, despite the difficulties of securing the separation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Moscow Patriarchate by legislative means, there are grounds to expect that the UOC of Tomos would be still received. This decision is not obvious, since some autocephalous Orthodox churches against it and support arguments of the Russian Orthodox Church. The petition of the state authorities concerning the autocephaly of the church is a long-standing claim by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Thus, Ukraine has to wait for the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to hold the Unifying Synod.

MARGIN INSCRIPTIONS ON THE BOOKS OF THE PRIVATE LIBRARY OF METROPOLITAN ANATOLY (DUBLYANSKY)

Description of the historical personalities’ role in the history is an important topic in the historical science. Nowadays, the attention of researchers is also attracted both by their activity and their private libraries due to possibility to reflect the sphere of the person interest as well as stages of its formation as a person. This investigation is dedicated to the part of the private library of the Metropolitan of Western European and Parisian Anatoly (Dublyansky) who was the prominent hierarch of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) in the diaspora, a native of Volyn, who left a noticeable mark in the development of the culture of his native land and the UAOC in Germany. He emigrated to Germany in 1944 and took an active part in religious life there. During his 50 years of emigration, Bishop Anatoly collected a large private library, which he decided to transfer to his Motherland after declaration of Ukraine’s independence and due to deteriorating of health. The most of the books were on church, theology and history. The metropolitan received scientifical-historical part of his great heritage to the Lutsk State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European (Volyn) National University, Lviv Vasyl Stefanyk Scientific Library and Volyn Museum of Local History. The church-religious part of the library, which consisted of more than 400 books, he received to the Volyn Theological Seminary. This article analyzes a part of the private library of Metropolitan Anatoly (Dublyansky).The description of margin inscriptions on the books is also given. These inscriptions reflect the history of books from the bishop’s private library, as well as give information about who received certain book and under which circumstances.

Rozwód w prawie Polskiego Autokefalicznego Kościoła Prawosławnego: ewolucja instytucji w XX wieku

Religie chrześcijańskie zasadniczo różnią się w swych poglądach dotyczących rozwiązania małżeństwa poprzez rozwód. Kościół prawosławny, uznając sakramentalność małżeństwa, dopuszcza rozwód oraz wyraża zgodę na zawarcie powtórnego małżeństwa. Istotną rolę w procesie kształtowania się przepisów kościelnych pełni autokefaliczny ustrój Kościoła. Zgodnie z nim kanony kościelne oparte na dogmatach Kościoła prawosławnego muszą być interpretowane w odniesieniu do sytuacji lokalnej Kościoła oraz czasu historycznego. Tak wyznaczona perspektywa prawa wskazuje wrażliwość Kościoła na zmiany społeczne, które także wpływają na sposób interpretacji sytuacji rozpadu małżeństwa. W artykule omówiono statuty wewnętrzne Polskiego Autokefalicznego Kościoła Prawosławnego regulujące zasady rozwiązania małżeństwa od momentu usamodzielnia się Kościoła na ziemiach polskich do czasów współczesnych.

Forms of Georgian Traditional Pilgrimage and Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia of Today

Forms of Georgian Traditional Pilgrimage and Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia of Today

Cerkiew prawosławna w II Rzeczypospolitej

In 1918 the independent republic of Poland was proclaimed. In 1920-1921, after the Polish-Soviet war, the Polish border was moved 200 km east of the Curzon line, which is more or less the Soviet-polish border of 1945. During the 2nd Polish Republic the Orthodox Church was not supported by an ascendancy of the authority yet, but was identified with the Russian invader’s religion. The Polish authorities treated Orthodoxy not as the religion of their people, but as the faith of the former occupant. The transfer of Orthodox Church property was part of the government’s policy of building a revived Polish state and its national unity on the basis of Roman Catholicism. This policy meant decreasing the number of Orthodox parishes and monasteries, the confiscation of church property by the state or its transfer to the Roman Catholic Church, closing Orthodox churches, and converting the faithful to Roman Catholicism. Throughout the mid-war period (1938-1939) the Orthodox Church had no regulated legal status. It was only after the transfer of Orthodox churches and estates by the state and the Roman Catholic Church that president Ignacy Mościcki signed a decree of 18 November 1938 On the attitude towards the Autocephalous Orthodox Church. On the basis of that decree the position of the highest authority governing the matters of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church was given to the General Council (Sobor) which consisted of bishops and representatives of the clergy and faithful. The executive body of the Church was a synod consisting of the metropolitan, the army bishop and two diocese bishops. The 1938 decree was the first document in the history of the Orthodox Church in the Second Polish Republic, which settled the relations between the Polish state and the Orthodox Church. It removed the state temporariness criticised by the clergy and faithful. On the basis of this decree the Orthodox Church was greatly subjected to the state and its policy. Within three weeks of issuing the decree, on 10 December 1938, a governmental decree was issued containing “The Internal Statute of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church”. It settled in detail the competence of the Orthodox metropolitan, the General Council, the Bishops’ Council and the Bishops’ Synod.

УНІВЕРСАЛЬНІ УМОВИ ДЕКОНФЛІКТИЗАЦІЇ СОЦІАЛЬНОГО ПРОСТОРУ: ПОТЕНЦІАЛ ЕТИЧНОГО АБСОЛЮТИЗМУ

The article analyzes the conflict between the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) and the totalitarian government and its projection on the contemporary ethno-religious processes in Ukraine. It is shown that the UAOC as a kind of modern ecclesiastical structure created under the heavy influence of the stormy events of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921, was Ukrainian in spirit and form, and brought up respect for national history and culture among Ukrainians and became an object of prosecution during the the Great Terror. It was revealed that the UAOC continued to be a Ukrainian religious organization and professed love for Ukraine, and its hierarchs and priests in their sermons called on believers to be Ukrainians, to respect their mother tongue, cultural history, customs and traditions also during the second half of the 1920th half of the 1930es. The UAOC was consistently persecuted and exterminated by the repressive structures of the USSR. It is shown that the Soviet authorities decided to destroy the UAOC finally, and ordered the repressive authorities to end the so-called «Ukrainian bourgeois nationalists» in the ranks once and for all, so that the «Clergy» case concerning the activities of the Ukrainian counter-revolutionary national organization was fabricated. It has been revealed that the totalitarian regime accused the arrested believing Ukrainians of counter-revolutionary actions, the revival of church and religious life in Ukraine, the promotion of their own candidates in the upcoming elections to the Local Councils in order to incorporate their people into important state bodies in order to use foreign powers in the case of foreign intervention. It is established that as a result of the complex and purposeful repression of the totalitarian regime in Ukraine, the UAOC ceased its Ukrainian-centric activity and its remnants were finally destroyed. It is proved that only from the late 1980es, when the decline of communist ideology began, the Christians of Ukraine were able to restore Ukrainian church organizations, including the UAOC. It is revealed that the heavy post-colonial and post-totalitarian legacy and the subversive anti-Ukrainian activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and the former KGB agents have contributed to the escalation of conflicts in Ukraine.

«Это великое событие в нашей церкви». Епископ Луцкий Поликарп о подписании Акта о соединении Украинских православных церквей

Analysis of the previously unknown to the scholarship documents strives to close the gaps in studying unknown facts and events of the history of Orthodoxy in Ukraine in the days of the Great Patriotic War. The article presents new archival sources in order to explore the history of Orthodoxy in Ukraine more fully and objectively. The significance of the publication of these archival documents stems from current processes and state of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, where it has exposed to persecution by the political elite of Ukraine. Certain circles of the Ukrainian clergy support the split of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its persecution. During the Great Patriotic War religious life in the occupied Ukrainian territories was extremely ambiguous. The Nazi occupiers encouraged the split in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which resulted in emergence of the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church, which maintained canonical ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which was non–canonical and sought to break all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. The authors have carried out archeographic and source–studies analysis of the new documents in order to establish their authenticity, time and place of their origin and to determine their novelty and scientific and practical significance. Archival sources identified in the course of documentary project ‘Orthodoxy in Ukraine in the days the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945’ shed light on the situation, describe numerous killings of priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, speak of cooperation of the episcopate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church with the occupation authorities. The attempt to create a unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church failed. In spring 1943, the troops of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) opened hostilities against the Nazis, who responded by ceasing all support of their spiritual pillar, the Autocephalous Church. The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church only recognized legitimacy of the Autonomous Orthodox Church in Ukraine. After the bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church escape in the steps of the retreating German army, the Orthodox parishes on the territory of Ukraine passed into jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate of the ROC.

УКРАЇНСЬКА ГРЕКО-ПРАВОСЛАВНА ЦЕРКВА В КАНАДІ: ПРОБЛЕМИ БУДІВНИЦТВА (1918–1939 РР.)

In the article it is done historiographical and sources study analysis of the material concerning to the activity of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (hereinafter referred to as UGOCC). The reasons influenced on its creation are shown. The main of them was the desire of the public activists to give possibility to the immigrants to attend their native church with Ukrainian divine service, deprived the influence of Rome and Moscow. The conditions in which Ukrainians consolidated on the basis of Orthodox religion were analyzed. Orthodox were mainly those who moved from Bukovina and Galicians, that past from Greek Catholic faith to Orthodox. The history of origin and further activity of UGOCC in the interwar period, according to valid norms of the Canadian legislation, is described in the research. The most important problems of the building of UGOCC, such as the lack of priests, searching for a bishop by Ukrainian origin, and the struggle for the recognition of the canonization by the Constantinople Patriarchate are defined. Specific peculiarities of functioning the UGOC on Canadian territory, its ties with the same church in Ukraine are characterized. So, UGOC of Canada gave great significance to the spiritual union with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as UAOC), on it repeatedly stressed in its councils. UGOCC recognized itself as a part of the UAOC, headed by the Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivsky. Particular attention is paid to internal conflicts in the interior of the Orthodox church. During the interwar period the discussion question of the canonicity of UGOC of Canada is remained, which Ivan Teodorovych and most of the members of the church`s council aspired to, but a part of the public activists led by V. Svystun was against the connection with the Constantinople Patriarchate and resanctifying the Archbishop, because it would mean «treason» of UAOC in Ukraine and the Kyivan canons of 1921. Therefore, the article analyzes the main problems of the building of the Ukrainian Orthodox church in Canada in the interwar period as well as the ways to solve them.

Религиозно­-церковная политика советского режима в отношении Польской автокефальной православной церкви на Волыни в 1939–1941 гг.

В статье раскрывается содержание советской религиозно­‑церковной политики в первый период Второй мировой войны на оккупированных польских землях. Показаны условия жизнедеятельности части Польской автокефальной православной церкви (ПАПЦ), которая оказалась на советской территории. Акцентировано внимание на противоречиях в отношениях советского атеистического режима к православным в Западной Украине и Белоруссии. Изложены факты, которые опровергают концепцию «либерализации» религиозной политики советского партийно­‑государственного руководства в 1939–1941 гг. Анализируется активность Московского патриархата, направленную на переподчинение православных приходов ПАПЦ в Западной Украине и Белоруссии под юрисдикцию РПЦ. В статье доказывается, что инициатором деятельности Московского патриархата по ликвидации автокефалии Польской православной церкви на оккупированных землях были советские спецслужбы. Показано, что мероприятия по переподчинению православных приходов бывшей Польской православной церкви Московскому патриархату осуществлялись под контролем и опекою органов НКВД. Обосновывается вывод о том, что наличие в Западной Украине и Белоруссии полноценной, функциональной, численной и автокефальной православной конфессии вынудило советский режим к взаимодействию с Московским патриархатом. Доказывается, что вновьприобретенный опыт был потом использован партийно­‑государственным руководством СССР в Прибалтике и в годы немецко­‑советской войны.

The role of the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church in conflicts in the South Caucasus

The role of the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church in conflicts in the South Caucasus The dissertation focuses on mutual ties and relations between the Church and the authorities and politics in Georgia. The national identity of Georgians is strongly connected with Christianity and separate ecclesiastical structures. A long tradition of autocephaly and differences resulting from autonomous development created a specific feeling of attachment to the Church, which Georgians expressed in the opposition to subordinate their Church to Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet power. The position of Georgian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the country’s life after the fall of the communism was shaped by the political situation of that period. The role of the national church was strongly emphasised and freedom regaining Georgians combined national slogans with their religious orientation. For a long time, the Georgian Church was the only one allowed to function in Georgia. The authorities, in need of the Church’s support, decided to give it an exceptional role in the state (Art. 9 of 1995 Constitution and the “Constitution Agreement” executed and ratified in October 2002 by the parliament and the Holy Synod). These and other provisions included in the legal acts resulted in a tremendous preference of the Georgian Church which leads to the spreading of religious extremism in the country, initially tolerated by the authorities. However, with the demands to introduce political reforms aimed at bringing Georgia closer to the model of Western countries and the country’s aspiration to join the European Union, the authorities were compelled to take steps and decisions which were contrary to the standpoint and activity of the Georgian Church. This, however, for long time enjoying incredible social trust, managed to maintain its position, among the others due to the ability to skilfully balance between the expectations and needs of the authorities and the accomplishment of its own goals. The Georgian Church is considered one of the most important actors in the Georgian public life and its influence on politics is considerable. It plays a significant role both in exacerbating ethnic, religious, and social conflicts in Georgia which translates into the relations of the country with its neighbours and the mitigation of emerging problems (after the Georgian-Ossetian-Russian war, the Georgian Church is the sole representative of the State in relations with the Russian Federation. Роль Грузинской Апостольской Автокефальной Православной Церкви в конфликтах на Южном Кавказе Задачей статьи является приблизить вопросы, связанные с присутствием християнства на территории Грузии и показать насколько большую роль играет Грузинская Апостольская Автокефальная Православная Церковь в истории грузинского народа. Национальная идентичность грузин сильно связана с християнством и отдельными церковными структурами, что существенно влияет на отношения с негрузинскими общинами (на Южном Кавказе – Грузия – страна с самым большим процентом этнических меньшинств), много поколений живущими в Грузии и владеющими местным языком, но к которым относятся как к «чужим» из-за «негрузинской» конфессии Новые власти (после обретения Грузией независимости в 1991 г.) обеспечили исключительную роль в государстве Грузинской Апостольской Автокефальной Православной Церкви посредством соответствующего законодательства. Это способствовало обострению отношений с национальными и конфессиональными меньшинствами, а также, в большой степени, усилению социальной напряженности и отразилось также на отношениях Грузии с ближайшими соседями. Именно эти аспекты автор подробно рассматривает в представленном тексте и показывает, как в результате специфических отношений, которые образовались в Грузии между церковью и государством, религия была подвержена инструментализации и использована для достижения текущих политических целей. В заключение статьи утверждается, что религия в Грузии вдохновляет националистические субъекты и поддерживает национализм.

Christian denominations of Volyn region in the conditions of transformation of modern Ukrainian society

The social transformations taking place today in Ukraine are accompanied by the intensive development of denominations, among which in the Volyn region championship holds Christian in their kind - Orthodox (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, independent Orthodox communities ), Protestant (Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and others), Catholic (Roman Catholic Church, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church) community.

Liturgical Innovations in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1921-1930): The Untold Story

Liturgical Innovations in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1921-1930): The Untold Story

PERMANENT PAN-ORTHODOX SYNOD IDEA IN THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX TRADITION FROM THE LATE XIX TO EARLY XXI CENTURIES

The lack of a single administrative center in the Orthodox world is one of the acute problems at least since the late 19 century. Today on the issue of primacy at the universal level there is no consensus among the local Churches, and this was the reason for the appearance in 2013 of an official document of the Russian Orthodox Church on this subject. In the 20 century, Constantinople made unsuccessful efforts to hold a pan-Orthodox Council. After the Second World War, Moscow made such an attempt. In 2016, another attempt to hold the pan-Orthodox Council on Crete again proved unsuccessful. This Council was held in incomplete composition and actually proposed to establish under the Patriarch of Constantinople a permanent all-Orthodox synod consisting of representatives of all Autocephalous Orthodox Churches. This idea is not new to Russian Orthodoxy. The idea of creating a permanent pan-Orthodox synod was expressed by prominent Russian Orthodox figures of various political and jurisdictional orientations. The article deals with the development of the idea of a permanent all-Orthodox synod in the notes of Count Ignatiev, the works of the canonists N. Suvorov, N. Zaozersky, S. Troitsky, theologians A. Kartashev, prot. N. Afanasyev, I. Meyendorff, Archbishop Basil (Krivoshein), in the work of the Moscow Conference of the Heads and representatives of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches of 1948, in the draft documents prepared by the Commission at the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church for the development of the catalog of themes for the Pan-Orthodox Council of 1968. Based on the review, the author summarizes the conclusions and assesses the problems and prospects for translating the idea of a permanent all-Orthodox synod in the life of the Orthodox Church.

Eastern Christian Churches Between State and Society: An Overview of the Religious Landscape in Ukraine (1989–2014)

The decline of the communist regime in the late 1980s stimulated decentralizing processes within the Russian Orthodox Church; a final result being the emergence of Eastern Christian Churches in independent Ukraine: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Throughout the next two and a half decades the Ukrainian religious landscape has been simultaneously characterized by sharp conflicts and a search for ways of peaceful coexistence between various confessions; ecumenical initiatives, and asserting one’s “canonicity” against the “schismatic” others; attempts by some Churches to act as civil agencies and national institutions; attempts by the state under President Yanukovych to revive a “state” Church following the Russian model; moves towards a Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church and also towards “Russkii mir” (The Russian World). Crucial issues are – the Churches’ search for their place in the post-Soviet Ukrainian realm and their choices of models for coexistence with Ukrainian officialdom and society. In its approach the article provides a general profile of each Church, examines state policies towards religion and the Church in independent Ukraine, and describes a turning point, that being the Revolution of Dignity’s deepinfluence on the Churches’ perceptions of themselves and their place in Ukrainian life.