Faith and Fissures: The Contested Independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The vast majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox. As recently as 2020,
14% percent considered themselves part of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church (UOC), which has a distinct Ukrainian identity but
historical ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. Given the notorious
role of Patriarch Cyril in justifying the war, the UOC cut ties
with Moscow and declared independence after the start of the
full-scale invasion. Two years on, criticism of the church has not
died down, and the Ukrainian parliament is considering taking
political measures against it. Why do many in Ukraine still see the
UOC as a threat, and what do believers and active parishioners
think of their church and its clergy? Regina Elsner and Andriy Fert
give us an overview of the OUC and its place in Ukrainian society.
(Music: “Complete” by Modul is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND
3.0-License.)