Religious scholar on the ban of the Russian church: the law will trigger different polar processes
21 August 15:27
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has passed a bill banning the activities of religious organisations affiliated with the Russian Federation. The new law obliges the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to sever all ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) within nine months. However, the question of how exactly this process will take place remains open. Vita Titarenko, Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, religious scholar, told Komersant ukrainskyi that the law will trigger various polar processes.
Ensuring the implementation of the law: the role of the SES
Vita Titarenko emphasises that the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (SESS) has a key role to play in ensuring the implementation of the law.
“We have specialists, we have religious expertise, we have the SESF, which deals with this, and it is actually in their function. So this is what they will be doing. And not even from the moment the law comes into force, not in 30 days, but from the moment it is signed. They can start working immediately after the law is signed,” Titarenko said.
She noted that the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, which deals with religious organisations and national minorities, will need to strengthen its staff. After all, this law will lead to a significant increase in the number of religious cases and cases related to its implementation.
“Since there will be both lawsuits and religious examinations regarding the communities of the UOC, which still remains in unity with the MP, it is important to remember that the SES must be provided with staff and resources to address these procedural issues,” the expert believes.
Polarisation in the religious environment
Titarenko said that this law is not an act against the church or religion, as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which is in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate (MP), is trying to present. On the contrary, it should become an effective mechanism of influence on national security aimed at protecting Ukrainian spirituality.
“When I was thinking about this topic, it was important for me that this law become an effective mechanism for influencing and strengthening national security. Because, first of all, this is a law that is not directed against the church, not against religion, as the UOC, which remains in unity with the MP and its supporters, want to present it, but this is still a law aimed at spiritual independence,” she said.
According to her, the process of implementing the law can become a catalyst for various processes in the religious environment.
“How it will unfold… Given that religious organisations are essentially human-centred, that is, their object is people, it seems to me that the law will launch various processes, and these may be polar processes,” the religious scholar believes.
Three scenarios
On the one hand, the law may push some believers to unite with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). An important element of the law is the need for each parish, diocese or association to undergo an expert examination. If a connection with the aggressor is established, for example, through the presence of a Russian passport in the head or evidence of collaboration, such an organisation will have to re-register, otherwise it will not be able to continue its activities.
Titarenko also emphasises that this law could be the impetus that would finally tear off the masks and show who is who.
“The charters will still be submitted to the SES, and finally we will have what we should have had 6 years ago: the law on changing the name, which unfortunately did not work, and did not become the impetus, the bifurcation point that should have finally torn the masks off our faces and shown who is who,” the expert added.
She notes that despite the possibility of a part of the UOC uniting with the OCU, one should not expect a massive transition. After all, Metropolitan Onufriy makes statements that are contradictory and gathers more fanatical believers around him.
“Everyone will not go to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, that’s for sure. Because the same Metropolitan Onufriy makes statements that are actually polar and opposite. This standing in faith also provides an additional factor for uniting those believers who are more fanatical,” the expert explained.
The third possible scenario, according to her, is the transition of a part of the UOC to the exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarch. However, this would require recognition of his jurisdiction, which is a difficult task for the UOC, which had previously severed ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
“But this requires its recognition, because the UOC, which says that no, we are not with Moscow, in due time, following Moscow, broke off unity with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. So these processes can go hand in hand. We will see which of the scenarios is more likely during the validity of the law,” emphasises the doctor of philosophy.
9 months is too long: in wartime, society should see the light faster
Titarenko expresses doubts as to whether nine months is a sufficient period to complete all the procedures required by the law. She notes that in a time of war, this period seems too long, and emphasises that society needs to realise and respond to the realities more quickly.
“But in my subjective opinion… perhaps immersion in military realities, plus the fact that it is still wartime, means that 9 months is still too long. I don’t know the intricacies of jurisprudence, perhaps it is a justified period for going through some procedures, but as for me, these 9 months are too long,” she believes.
The religious scholar compares this period to the parable of Aladdin, who promised to teach a donkey to speak in 50 years, expecting either the padishah or the donkey to die before then.
Titarenko also draws attention to the importance of a society’s quick insight during a war, when the situation requires a clear understanding of who is who. She emphasises that part of the UOC clergy has ties to Russia, which is unacceptable in the third year of the war.
“Another nuance that for me is perhaps a trigger or a marker. I wish that in wartime, society would see the light faster. It seems that all the dots have already been dotted, and it has been explained who is who. The clergy of the UOC-MP, even according to such general estimates, has about 20 Russian passports among its leaders, and this is in the third year of the war. And I want society to see the light much faster,” she stressed.
According to her, to accelerate this process, systematic and systematic work is needed at all levels – from the media to church and religious organisations.
In conclusion, Vita Titarenko expressed hope that active efforts on the part of society and religious institutions will help to avoid a situation where the new law on religious organisations in Ukraine will suffer the fate of the previous law on renaming religious organisations associated with the aggressor country.