Oleksandr Kyrylenko for the Spiritual Front of Ukraine
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is this expression that comes to mind regarding the appearance of another Orthodox jurisdiction in Ukraine – the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romania provided and provides invaluable support to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. Did the Romanian Patriarchate make a mistake in embracing ethnic religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate)?
In a communique following the meeting on February 29, the Synod of the Romanian Church “blesses, encourages and supports the initiatives of the Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine to restore communication with the Mother Church, the Romanian Patriarchate, through their legal organization in a religious structure entitled the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine “.
One would not worry about this step of the Romanian Patriarchate, because by the same decision the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church created similar religious structures in Great Britain and Ireland should there not been a certain nuance, or even several.
A year ago, the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church declared that it “maintains its position in favor of the observance of the rights and freedoms of Romanian communities throughout the territory of Ukraine, as they respect Ukrainians throughout the territory of Romania.” It was then that the bishop of the UOC (MP) Longin (Zhar) and a number of Romanian radicals began to spread the topic of “persecution” in the Romanian media space. Although the Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine were just fine: there were no scandals related to transitions, asset rows, or else.
It is quite possible that the Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine appealed to the Romanian Orthodox Church because they were afraid of the uncertain canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP) after the Council in Feofania, and that the faithful were afraid of losing grace because of it. We want to believe that their intentions are sincere. But facts say otherwise.
Moscow poison in Romania
Last year, Metropolitan Longin appeared regularly on Romanian TV. He recorded dozens of video messages in which he called on Romania to stop supporting Ukraine. It is noted that one of the goals of the propaganda campaign was achieved immediately: the Romanian society, which is quite religious and conservative, was outraged by Ukraine.
At the same time, an “Appeal to Romanian priests in Ukraine and Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, derived from the Russian Patriarchate, on the transition to the traditional canonical jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church” appeared in some Romanian media. In a letter open for signature, its initiators, so to speak, appeal to the faithful of Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, and Odesa regions to transition from the UOC MP to the Romanian Patriarchate.
Almost immediately after that, Russian propagandists began to spread fakes that the “Bucharest authorities” offered the parishes of the UOC (MP) to come under the protectorate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and therefore, as if Romania was beginning to “softly occupy” part of the territory of Ukraine.
At the same time, Russian narratives about the “persecution of the UOC (MP) and national minorities” began to spread in the Romanian media. They were launched into the Romanian media space by the former deputy of the Romanian Parliament from the Liberal Democratic Party, Vișan Gelu, who, live on Romania TV, directly accused the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, of “persecuting the UOC”, “destroying churches”, and “banning Romanians in Ukraine from speaking Romanian.”
And in early February, there was an “assault” against the bishop. On the page of the Banchensky Monastery of the UOC (MP) in social networks, a photo of Metropolitan Longin with bruises under his eyes was published with the caption “This is the price of the purity of the Orthodox faith!”, including in Romanian. This fake story was refuted even by the UOC (MP). But it is not a given that the refutation reached the Romanian audience.
Church separatism of the UOC (MP)
Such church separatism did not arise yesterday. And not even when draft law 8371 on the banning of religious organizations associated with the aggressor state was tabled in the Verkhovna Rada, becoming the basis for clamoring about “persecution”. It came to life in late March 2022 as Russian invaders were retreating from Kyiv region.
It was then that the bishop of the UOC (MP) Mark (Petrovtsii), who “accidentally” turned out to be a citizen of Russia, signed the permission for clerics of one of the dioceses of the UOC (MP) in Zakarpattia to transition to the Romanian Patriarchate. And at the same time, this bishop threatened priests who openly advocated the autocephaly of the UOC (MP) and the complete severing of ties with Moscow.
Subsequently, the notorious Uzhhorod UOC (MP) priest Dimitriy Sydor announced his transition to the Serbian Patriarchate.
Such steps have the sole purpose of disrupting any attempts to restore the unity of the Ukrainian Orthodox, to create chaos in the religious life of Ukraine. And that’s what the Kremlin is trying to do. Such a change of church jurisdictions opens the way for UOC (MP) communities to get out of the scope of draft law 8371, in case of its adoption, because the management center of such religious organizations will no longer be in Moscow, but in Bucharest.
This can be evidenced by the reaction of the UOC (MP) to the creation of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The head of the Synodal information and educational department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP), Metropolitan Klyment (Vecherya), was not only indignant, but almost happy with the decision of the Synod of the Romanian Patriarchate.
“Offering its jurisdiction to such church units, the Romanian Church notes the obvious danger that in Ukraine they may find themselves outside the law, and even worse – under a direct ban. This is a loud signal for the Ukrainian parliament about how Europe thinks of Ukrainian policies, and what consequences it will have,” said Metropolitan Klyment.
These words by Klyment about “recognition of persecution” may indicate that the UOC (MP) itself is interested in these developments: to set the Ukrainian government up and put it against Bucharest. And the one and only beneficiary here is the Kremlin.
Inactivity – useful and harmful
This situation also looks like a diplomatic failure on the part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate responsible for the Ukrainian direction. Back in the summer of 2019, the OCU created the Romanian Vicariate – a special administrative structure of ethnic Romanians in Ukraine with self-government rights within the OCU. But this remained only on paper. At the same time, the situation was ignored by a number of bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, who categorically ignored the request of a significant number of Ukrainian clergy for a mediation mission of the Ecumenical See in the matter of discord between the OCU and the UOC (MP).
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government cannot and shall not interfere in the issue. According to Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine on freedom of conscience and religious organizations, the government recognizes the right of a religious community to be subordinated in canonical and organizational matters to any religious centers (management) operating in Ukraine and abroad, and to freely change this subordination by introducing appropriate changes to the charter (regulations) of the religious community.
And it is great that the responsible officials treat the situation wisely. That is, the officials from the Zakarpattia administration, who, with a clear understanding of the situation, once responded to the church separatism expressed by the priest Dymytry Sydor.
And the Romanian Patriarchate needs to think very hard: do they really believe they are taking care of Romanians from the diaspora, or have they been offered a “Trojan horse” by the ROC-UOC (MP) under the guise of such care?
