Today at 01:45
2019 is a very important year for the church. Why don’t you summarize what’s happened?
If we summarize very briefly, for this church this was very successful year, because this church was established, maybe not established, but re-established, because it united three different branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Kyiv Patriarchate Orthodox Church and the part of Moscow Patriarchate Church. It’s very important event in our life, because for a long time Ukrainians wanted to have such a united church, and now we have it. It’s very important even for the future, because, if you know, Ukrainian Church is, maybe, the most historical one on this territory, because from these hills, from this place the Christianity began its way to the civilization world of Europe. And I think that Ukrainians were very successful in the development of literature, language, architecture. Many years ago, in 10th century we became the Christian people, and now we try keeping this mission of ours for all countries around Ukraine.
It’s not just a religious question now, is it? There’re also some political elements to it, because by joining these three branches within Ukraine, you are also separating from the Russian branch, and now everyone was pleased about this. What steps did Russia take to try to put hurdles in the way of this move?
For Ukrainians it’s not just a religious question, you are right, it’s a political one, because we try to unite two kinds of identification: the national identification and the religious, or we think of it as Orthodox identification. Ukrainian Church — this is now the Separate Autocephalous Independent Church in the big family of Orthodox churches of the world, Ecumenical Orthodoxy. And now we stand on the last point of this all hierarchy, the 15th point, but I think that we could show the world, and especially the Orthodox world that we are equal part of the Ecumenical Orthodoxy. The process of separation from Russian Orthodox Church was very complicated and very difficult for us. Ukrainians many times tried to separate from this church and all this history which we calculate about 500 years was full of different histories and different steps of this separation. And maybe 100 years ago in the beginning of the 20th century there was revolution not only in Ukraine but in Russia when the Ukrainian church maybe first time so loudly demonstrated its decisions and wishes to be independent from the Russian one. In that time the autocephaly church was established and unfortunately all hierarchs were killed by Soviet power because that kind of empire did not need the independent spiritual or religious organization which spread through Ukrainians. So now we continue our fight for independent church. And I am very happy that this process is finished by acceptance ‘tomos’ from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in the beginning of this year. Now we have legitimate document which only proves our rights to be equal church with other Orthodox churches.
Now when you broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate there are also some probably structural things that need to be changed. There are many churches in Kyiv. Some of them were Russian Orthodox, some were Ukrainian. How things like these are cleared up?
This is a difficult problem but I think that Ukrainians could solve this problem many years ago in natural way. We decided what temple would belong to one or another church. This is the right of community and religious community decided what church was the mother church for them and what juridical base was main for religious life of this church. Now in Kyiv, you are right, we have two main Orthodox churches. This is Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate and now the United Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This is official title of this Church which was established in the beginning of this year. But this is not new church because it united the historical part of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and now there is a very important process how to become from the United Church the Unificated Church or we say about the Unified Church. It is a very, very strong and very difficult way because we need to combine the different parts of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. For a long time these all parts lived according to their own rules and according to their own traditions. But I think: “What could be the main idea for such kind of unification or united process?” This is the concept of open Orthodoxy. If you are open, you could include different parts and I think, that this open Orthodoxy is good idea and a good theory, and a good practice how to unite different parts of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
For this idea being inclusive religion, how have the parishioners seen the changes in a past year? How have normal members of churches feel the differences that taking place within the past months?
Ordinary believers supported this process, and Ukrainians are not aggressive for the people they prefer to have the understanding between one another. When this church was established, it was a period of overcoming the differences between different parts of Ukrainian Orthodoxy , between different believers, between even the parts of families. Because I know that, for example, parents could go by tradition to another church, but their children go to a new church, for example to autocephalic or Kyiv Patriarchate church. Now they could gather and could meet in one church and it is a good idea how to unite it, not only on religious bases, but how to unite all Ukrainian people and this church gives a good signal for all Ukrainian society, that we could overcome the stereotype. Maybe you heard about, when there are two Ukrainians and three hetmans. Now we could show to Ukrainians that we could be together, we could be under one idea about the unity and not only in religious sense, but in political and in social sense. I think that the future of this church will be very, very successful, but we need to work every day and every time. It is a good idea, good realization, good perspective for next future, special for those who are really interested to have a very strong and very successful and happy Ukraine.
