Tag: Ukraine

The OCA Holy Synod on the Russian War in Ukraine <br><span style='color:#8D8381;font-size:18px;'>On the Dubious Silence of the Shepherds</span>
Inter-Orthodox Relations, Orthodoxy and Modernity, Religion and Politics

The OCA Holy Synod on the Russian War in Ukraine
On the Dubious Silence of the Shepherds

American Orthodox leaders, inevitably on one or other side of the widening Greek–Slavic divide in world Orthodoxy, typically echo the voice of the peculiar foreign “Mother–Church” to which each hierarch is canonically bound. So Archbishop Elpidophoros, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) in the USA, although expressing his sympathy for the hapless Russians being…

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The Orthodox Church in Ukraine: War and “Another Autocephaly”
Inter-Orthodox Relations

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine: War and “Another Autocephaly”

War changes many things, primarily people’s minds, but also the usual flow of time. What takes years or even decades in peacetime takes a few months, or sometimes even days, during war.  On May 27, the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the highest governing body of the church, after much debate, expressed its…

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The Moral Defeat of the Russian World: Putin, Kirill, and the Tribunal of History
Religion and Conflict

The Moral Defeat of the Russian World: Putin, Kirill, and the Tribunal of History

by Paul L. Gavrilyuk | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски In Mariupol, Russian rockets destroy a maternity ward, wounding dozens. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Patriarch Kirill (Gundiaev) blesses the Russian troops. In the same town of Mariupol, Russian bombs kill hundreds of children and elderly in the Drama Theater. Putin’s…

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Have We Hit Rock Bottom? <br><span style='color:#8D8381;font-size:18px;'>Reflections of a Not-So-Innocent Bystander</span>
Public Life

Have We Hit Rock Bottom?
Reflections of a Not-So-Innocent Bystander

by Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis There are very few occasions in our lives—critical, pivotal events—that are truly life-shattering. We Orthodox describe them as kairos moments. World War II was one of these. In my lifetime, there was 9/11. Institutions and individuals are defined by such moments. We might recall how the Roman Catholic Church failed…

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To Leave or Not to Leave One’s Church
Church Life and Pastoral Care

To Leave or Not to Leave One’s Church

by Sister Vassa Larin “…For there must be also heresies/divisions among you, that they which are approved/tested-and-proved-reliable may be made manifest among you.” (1 Cor 11: 19) In this “Time of Troubles” of the Orthodox Church, many Orthodox Christians, particularly those in the Moscow Patriarchate, are contemplating either changing “jurisdictions” or taking a time out…

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Sunday, May 8, 2022: The Global Orthodox Laypeople’s Demonstration Against the War in Ukraine
Public Life, Religion and Conflict

Sunday, May 8, 2022: The Global Orthodox Laypeople’s Demonstration Against the War in Ukraine

by Lori Branch In these paschal days when we sing and greet each other with “Christ is risen,” the people of Ukraine suffer hunger, cold, injury, and death. While individually we help through IOCC and other charities, at the level of the global Church we are too often passing them by on the other side…

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Open Appeal of the Priests of the UOC-MP to the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches
Inter-Orthodox Relations, Orthodoxy and Modernity, Religion and Conflict

Open Appeal of the Priests of the UOC-MP to the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches

After Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, the question of the further existence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate became critical. Patriarch Kirill did not condemn the aggression and did not call the aggressor by name. He did not express any condolences to the families of the dead Ukrainians. Most of…

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Rebuild Ukraine: The Long March to Becoming Fully Human
Christian Practice, Religion and Conflict

Rebuild Ukraine: The Long March to Becoming Fully Human

by Anberin Eugenia The quiet cadence of prayer and fasting as Lent began was shattered with the invasion of Ukraine. Forgiveness Vespers was ridden with sorrow and disbelief. There was no escaping the sadness and helplessness as we prayed. As I quietly mouthed the words to “Open to Me the Gates of Repentance,” the full…

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Some Reflections on the Declaration on the “Russian World” Teaching
Orthodoxy and Modernity, Religion and Conflict

Some Reflections on the Declaration on the “Russian World” Teaching

Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is a turning point in European history, comparable to the beginning of both world wars. Therefore, it is completely understandable that theologians and ordinary believers would respond to it, first, with gestures of solidarity with the victims of the aggression, and second, with condemnation of the aggressors and those who…

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Russian World or Holy World War? <br><span style='color:#8D8381;font-size:18px;'>The Real Ideology of the Invasion of Ukraine</span>
Religion and Conflict

Russian World or Holy World War?
The Real Ideology of the Invasion of Ukraine

Kremlinology is back in a big way. Thinkers and pundits of every stripe, throughout the world, are once again seeking to uncover the secret motives and exotic ideologies of the Russian political elite. Only this time around, unlike in the days of Soviet atheism, the smoke signals coming from the Kremlin are increasingly linked with…

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A Church at War: Heresies, History, and a Russian Orthodoxy Otherwise
Orthodoxy and Modernity, Religion and Politics

A Church at War: Heresies, History, and a Russian Orthodoxy Otherwise

by Patrick Lally Michelson Much of the criticism currently directed at the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine is organized around the idea that the Moscow Patriarchate is ideologically compromised and theologically unsound. With few exceptions, scholars, journalists, and opinion writers condemn leaders of the Russian Church as apologists…

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A Statement of Solidarity with the Orthodox Declaration on the “Russian World” (Russkii Mir) Teaching, and against Christian Nationalism and New Totalitarianism
Documents, Religion and Conflict, Religion and Politics

A Statement of Solidarity with the Orthodox Declaration on the “Russian World” (Russkii Mir) Teaching, and against Christian Nationalism and New Totalitarianism

This statement was originally posted at Religion in Praxis and is reposted here with permission. Also available in Russian and Ukrainian (pdf). Following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022, Orthodox voices have thoroughly rebutted the use of the “Russian World” (russkii mir) teaching, which claims that there is an organically…

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Archpastoral Exhortation Regarding the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Religion and Conflict

Archpastoral Exhortation Regarding the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America This is a slightly edited version of the public address Archbishop Elpidophoros delivered on Monday, April 4th, at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Port Washington, NY, at the beginning of an event entitled “Understanding the Role of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.” The event was…

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Lessons From the American Revolution for the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine
Church History, Inter-Orthodox Relations

Lessons From the American Revolution for the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine

by Very Rev. Dr. John A. Jillions Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is still uncoiling, but the destruction he is inflicting on the people of Ukraine has already succeeded in uniting the fractious Orthodox churches in Ukraine around defense of their homeland. He has also ensured that the Patriarchate of Moscow—so closely aligned with…

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The UOC-MP at the Crossroads
Inter-Orthodox Relations, Orthodoxy and Modernity

The UOC-MP at the Crossroads

by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Denysenko | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has caught the attention of the public for multiple reasons. The humanitarian catastrophe, the sheer horror of ceaseless shelling, the shooting of protesters in the streets, the attacks on nuclear plants, the threats…

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Will There Be a Confessing Church in the ROC?
Orthodoxy and Modernity, Religion and Politics

Will There Be a Confessing Church in the ROC?

by George Persh | Русский For centuries, the Orthodox Church has taken the side of its state leadership in times of war, and the further it departed from the pacifism of the first centuries of Christianity, the more militant the rhetoric of the Church became. But the tragic events of the twentieth century posed questions…

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Open Letter to the Synod of the Orthodox Church in America on the War in Ukraine
Documents, Orthodoxy and Modernity, Public Life, Religion and Politics

Open Letter to the Synod of the Orthodox Church in America on the War in Ukraine

His Beatitude, Metropolitan TikhonMembers of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America Dear Archpastors: We[1] write as painfully concerned, truth–seeking, and truth–committed Orthodox Christians: we are chagrined clergy and lay members of the Orthodox Church in America, who as American citizens value religious and political freedom. Conscience compels us to speak. The unprovoked…

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The Liturgical Consent to War
Religion and Conflict

The Liturgical Consent to War

by A. Edward Siecienski In a famous scene from A Man for All Seasons, Thomas More defended his silence on the Act of Supremacy by citing a maxim of the law, “Qui tacet consentire videtur” (Silence betokens consent). His argument was that by saying nothing, the court must assume he agreed with the Act regardless…

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Ukrainian Nationhood, “Russkii Mir,” and the Abuse of History
Orthodoxy and Modernity, Religion and Conflict

Ukrainian Nationhood, “Russkii Mir,” and the Abuse of History

by Thomas Bremer Many observers of the current war in Ukraine who try to analyze its deeper reasons refer to the idea of a “Russian World,” “Russkii Mir.” This idea, they claim, is the key concept behind the Russian aggression, and shows the tight connection between religion and politics in Russia. A glance at the…

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Blessed are the Peacemakers: Thinking Historically About Russian Orthodox Soft Diplomacy
Church History, Religion and Politics

Blessed are the Peacemakers: Thinking Historically About Russian Orthodox Soft Diplomacy

by Aram G. Sarkisian If you stand before the iconostasis of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Manhattan, the representation church of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church in America, you will see an old and ornate cross perched behind the altar table. First placed there nearly 120 years ago, it is an artifact…

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Patriarch Kirill, the “Russian World” Myth, and Genocide
Religion and Politics

Patriarch Kirill, the “Russian World” Myth, and Genocide

by Jaroslav Skira | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски Also available in Ukrainian (pdf) Suggestively linking a Russian Orthodox primate, an ideology, and genocide may seem provocative or sensationalist. For me, given the current unjustified Russian war on Ukraine, the connections between them are far from that. In this moment in our common…

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A Declaration on the “Russian World” (Russkii mir) Teaching
Documents, Religion and Politics, Theology

A Declaration on the “Russian World” (Russkii mir) Teaching

“For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.” (Divine Liturgy) This text is also available in pdf format in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Ukrainian, Croatian, Estonian, Hungarian, Portuguese, and…

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When Putin Takes Revenge on His Own History
Religion and Politics

When Putin Takes Revenge on His Own History

by Assaad Elias Kattan | български | ქართული | Русский A Greek version of this text is available at Polymeros kai Polytropos, the blog of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies At the time of writing, the tsar’s fighter jets are pounding the gorgeous Kyiv, and air raid sirens are echoing everywhere. “Who has believed…

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Does Europe Have a Christian Basis for Actively Supporting Ukraine against the Evil Attack?
Religion and Conflict

Does Europe Have a Christian Basis for Actively Supporting Ukraine against the Evil Attack?

by Fr. Bohdan Oghulchanskij | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски I, Bohdan Oghulchanskij, a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, am writing this text on February 27, 2022, the fourth day of the Russian mass invasion. I can’t know what will happen by the time this text gets published. I…

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Russian Orthodox Media Shows a House Divided Against Itself
Public Life

Russian Orthodox Media Shows a House Divided Against Itself

by Jacob Lassin | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine threatens to become the worst humanitarian disaster in recent history. The Russian Orthodox Church, already embroiled in a protracted conflict in Ukraine over Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s decision to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of…

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An Orthodox Christian Standing with Ukraine <br><span style='color:#8D8381;font-size:18px;'>Personal Reflections on Russia’s War on Ukraine</span>
Religion and Politics

An Orthodox Christian Standing with Ukraine
Personal Reflections on Russia’s War on Ukraine

by Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски Few, if any, would go so far as to claim that Patriarch Kirill, as head of the Orthodox Church in Russia (or “the Russias,” as he likes to say), could be charged with crimes against humanity or war crimes…

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Patriarch Kirill and Vladimir Putin’s Two Wars
Ethics, Religion and Conflict

Patriarch Kirill and Vladimir Putin’s Two Wars

by Sergei Chapnin | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски It’s hard to talk. It’s hard to think. It’s very hard to pray. It’s a shock. And it’s scary to realize that I was wrong not to believe there would be a war. No, I did not believe it at…

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Hitler and Putin: 1938 and 2022
Orthodoxy and Modernity

Hitler and Putin: 1938 and 2022

Hitler delivered his speech of September 12, 1938 to the German Reichstag a few weeks before the German tanks rolled over the German-Czech border to invade Czechoslovakia; Putin delivered his speech of February 21, 2022 to the Russian nation as he was giving orders for the Russian tanks to cross the Russian border with Eastern…

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Ukrainian Occupation: Worse Than a Crime, It’s A Mistake
Religion and Conflict

Ukrainian Occupation: Worse Than a Crime, It’s A Mistake

by Nicholas Sooy When Napoleon executed Louis Antoine in 1804, a decision which turned the European aristocracy against Napoleon, an advisor reportedly quipped “It’s worse than a crime, it’s a mistake.” Former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson, an architect of the War in Vietnam reportedly quipped the same thing about Vietnam. A full-scale invasion…

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Pastoral or Provocative? Patriarch Bartholomew’s Visit to Ukraine
Inter-Orthodox Relations, Orthodoxy and Modernity

Pastoral or Provocative? Patriarch Bartholomew’s Visit to Ukraine

Rev. Dr. Nicholas Denysenko | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски Much has happened in the time that has elapsed since Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in 2018-19. The world continues to struggle through the pandemic. Natural disasters are destroying lives at…

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Public Orthodoxy seeks to promote conversation by providing a forum for diverse perspectives on contemporary issues related to Orthodox Christianity. The positions expressed in the articles on this website are solely the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.

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Public Orthodoxy is a publication of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University