Guest editor: BALTIC Yuliya Yurchuk WORLDS The role of in the Ukrainian political landscape

special section

Introduction. Religion in : political and historical entanglements

kraine usually becomes the — called the Tomos — was given by the Ecu- be tackled in the articles. On this note, I focus of the international menical Patriarch of to should add an important disclaimer: it is media and lively scholarly the newly established Orthodox Church not spirituality and religious belief as such U interest when it undergoes of Ukraine. Thus, in 2019 the world wit- that are in the focus of this special section. some tremendous political and societal nessed the birth of one more Orthodox The purpose of this discussion is to put changes. Sufce to mention the year 2004 Church, a rare event in church history. the question of religion into the focus of when the was on front The whole discussion on religion in the studies which approach diferent as- pages all over the world, or 2013-2014 Ukraine, however, cannot be restricted pects of Ukrainian reality today and show when mass protests — now known as the how an analysis of an intricate interplay Revolution — followed by between religion, politics, and society can the Russian annexation of and “IN 2019 THE help us better understand this reality. the continuing war in came into WORLD WITNESSED 1 Religious affiliation the spotlight worldwide. What happened THE BIRTH OF ONE in Ukraine in the years 2018 and 2019 in numbers drew considerably less attention both in MORE ORTHODOX According to the sociological survey international media and among scholars, CHURCH, A RARE conducted in 2018, about 72% of respon- although historically these years are no dents declared themselves as believers.2 less remarkable than the years of mass EVENT IN CHURCH Compared with the number of believers unrests and regimes changes. HISTORY.” in previous years, the overall number The year 2018 became a turning point decreased somewhat from 76% in 2014, not only in the church simply to the questions of Orthodoxy. To but religious leaders continue to enjoy but, more broadly, in the history of world grasp the scale of religious life of Ukraine the highest level of trust within Ukrainian Orthodoxy. In 2018 all ofcial prepara- we should broaden our perspective and society.3 Among believers, the most nu- tions were completed for the Orthodox look at the country from a bird’s eye view. merous are Orthodox (67.3%); Church of Ukraine to become an inde- In this introduction I want not only to 9.4% of respondents declared that they pendent church in communion with all introduce each article that comprises this belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic other Orthodox churches in the world. special section but also to describe the Church; 2.2% said they are Protestants; On January 5, 2019, the ofcial document religious situation in Ukraine, to give read- and 0.8% attend the Roman Catholic that grants the church’s independence ers a better grasp of the context which will Church; 0.4% belong to .4

Baltic Worlds 2020, vol. XIII:2–3 Special section: The role of religion in the Ukrainian political landscape 70 introduction PHOTO: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE PRESS PRESIDENTIAL UKRAINIAN PHOTO: The former , Pyotr Poroshenko, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

According to the , 0.9% eled to Greek colonies about 2,000 years Jewish community is well-organized and of the Ukrainian population follow .5 ago.6 But it was in the 13th century that is especially active in memory politics in Less than 1% said that they follow other the Ashkenazi Jewish presence became relation to the Second World War and the such as , or signifcant here. Noteworthy is the fact remembrance of the Holocaust victims. . In the previously mentioned that in the 18th century a new teaching Two big organizations represent the sociological survey a further 11.0% de- of Judaism — Hasidism — originated in Jewish community in Ukraine: the VAAD clared themselves non-religious or unaf- the Ukrainian lands. The signifcance of of Ukraine (Association of Jewish Civic fliated to any religion. Ukraine as the place where Hasidism was Organizations and Communities) headed From the information above we can established is difcult to overestimate, as by the Soviet era dissident Josef Zissels, see how religious afliation is distributed hundreds of thousands of contemporary and the United Jewish Society of Ukraine among the population. We see that three Hasidim come on pilgrimage to Ukraine headed by the oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi. main religions — , Islam, and to worship the memory of Rebbe Nach- The latter organization has an impressive Judaism — which were present in the terri- man, the founder of Breslov Hasidism, cultural center in the city of — Me- tory of the present-day Ukraine through- at his grave in Uman (a town in Central norah — located in a huge building with a out the centuries are not distributed even- Ukraine). During the Second World War museum and the Tkuma research center ly. Despite the diferences in numbers of the Jewish population was exterminated which serves as a platform for academic believers, however, all these religions and in the Holocaust, leading to a total change conferences and as a publishing house for the religious organizations that represent of the cities’ demographical outlook: Be- studies on Judaism in Ukraine. them play an important role in the societal fore the war, a third of the biggest cities’ life of the country, with their leaders com- populations were of Jewish origin (15% of LOOKING AT ISLAM, it was the Golden menting on all political changes and dis- the population in the territory which is Horde (which at that time occupied a cussing the country’s future perspective. now Ukraine were of Jewish origin before signifcant part of the territory of present the Second World War).7 Nowadays Ukraine and adopted Islam as the state Religions in Ukraine from comprise only 0.2% of the population of religion in 1313) and the a historical perspective Ukraine (according to the census in 2001 (which conquered some of these ter- Judaism appeared in the lands which are or 0.4% according to the Razumkov sur- ritories in the 1470s) that brought Islam now Ukraine when Jewish traders trav- vey in 2018). Although not numerous, the to these lands. accepted introduction 71

Islam as the state religion of the Golden UOAC and the UGCC were banned (the That year, Metropolitan Job of Moscow Horde (1313–1502), and later ruled as vas- UOAC was permitted up to 1930 and the became the frst Patriarch of Moscow and sals of the Ottoman Empire (until the late UGCC was forced to unite with the ROC in All Rus’ (hence, “” disappeared from 18th century). During the Second World 1947; many priests of these churches were the title). War, in May 1944, the entire Crimean repressed or moved to the US or Canada Parallel to these events, in 1458 in Tatar population in Crimea was deported where they were active in diaspora).12 Kyiv (then the part of the Grand Duchy of by the Soviet authorities on charges of When the UOAC and UGCC were re-es- Lithuania) the Rus’ Orthodox Church was collaboration with the Nazi regime. Those tablished in Ukraine in the late 1980s and established which was under the jurisdic- who survived the hard conditions of the early 1990s, the revival of these churches tion of the Ecumenical See. In 1686 it was deportation resettled in Uzbekistan and was closely connected to the national transferred to the jurisdiction of Moscow. other republics of the . Many revival.13 The same can be said about the In such a way, from 1686 up to the 20th of the deported Crimean Tatars returned UOC-KP which appeared as consequence century, Orthodox Christians in the lands to Crimea in the late 1980s and early of the state’s independence. which are now Ukraine belonged to the 1990s.8 As mentioned above, Church under the jurisdic- only about 1% of population tion of Moscow. When the in Ukraine are Muslims. Most “THE SIGNIFICANCE OF Ecumenical Patriarchate, of them lived in Crimea where UKRAINE AS THE PLACE WHERE Bartholomew I of Constanti- they comprised about 15% of nople, granted autocephaly the population.9 Many of them HASIDISM WAS ESTABLISHED IS to the Orthodox Church of had to move from Crimea DIFFICULT TO OVERESTIMATE, Ukraine (OCU) in January 5, after the Russian annexation 2019, it was exactly the trans- of the peninsula. They created AS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS fer of 1686 that was annulled. their own centers in big cities OF CONTEMPORARY HASIDIM Although the president of and play an important role in COME ON PILGRIMAGE Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, the political and cultural life tried to present the church of the country.10 Nowadays, TO UKRAINE.” independence gained during there are approximately 150 his presidency as his own mosques in Ukraine. There is no single It is between the Orthodox churches victory, in reality, several factors came administrative center which represents all that the most tensions exist today. These into play that fnally resolved the fate of Muslims in the country; instead there are tensions are often framed through histori- the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. These fve diferent Muslim organizations with cal narratives which are worth mention- factors include the political will inside diferent political interests and agendas. ing in more detail.14 Ofcially, the year 988 the country and the tensions in relations is marked as the year when the Christian between Orthodox churches in the world AS STATED ABOVE, Christianity is a major- religion came to Kyiv Rus’, when Prince that were caused by the Russian policy ity religion in Ukraine. De facto, since the Volodymyr introduced Byzantine Christi- against Ukraine. The , the collapse of the Soviet Union up to 2018, anity in these lands. The choice of religion reluctance of the Moscow Patriarchate to there were four main Christian churches was fateful because it placed the Kyiv condemn the war and to name the in Ukraine: 1) the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the authority of the Mother aggressor in this confict, and the decreas- Church of Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) Church in Constantinople.15 When Kyiv ing support of the Moscow Patriarchate which remains dependent on the Russian lost its political power as a result of the among the people of Ukraine, all put the Orthodox Church (ROC-MP), 2) the Ukrai- Mongol invasion, the Metropolitan of Kyiv position of Orthodoxy itself at risk.16 Com- nian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarch- and All Rus’, Maximus, moved to Vladimir pared to pre-2014 survey data, there was a ate (UOC- KP) which was established in in 1299. His successor, Metropolitan Peter, dramatic decrease in numbers of people 1992 by the part of the clergy that diverged moved his see to Moscow in 1325. All the who stated that they belonged to the from the UOC-MP, 3) the Ukrainian Ortho- Metropolitans of Kyiv were established UOC-MP after Russian aggression against dox Autocephalous Church (UOAC) which by the decision in Constantinople and Ukraine since 2014.17 In yet another sur- originated in 1921 parallel to Ukrainian they all held the title of the Metropolitan vey, people admitted that for them the aspirations to build an independent state of Kyiv and All Rus’ even if they had their UOC-MP was associated with the aggres- in 1917-1922, and 4) the Ukrainian Greek sees in other cities. But in 1448 in Moscow, sive Russian policy against Ukraine.18 In (UGCC) which emerged a Russian bishop, Jonas, was established the same survey, most of the believers as a result of the in 1596 as the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus’ named the UOC-KP as “the only Church of between the and the Ruthenian without Constantinople’s agreement. the Ukrainian people”.19 In these circum- Orthodox Church.11 During the Soviet pe- Not until more than a century later, in stances, the Ecumenical Patriarch real- riod, only the 1589, did the Church in Moscow gain ized that there was only one possible way was tolerated by the state. In practice, the autocephaly from the Ecumenical See. to keep the millions of Orthodox people 72 introduction in Ukraine in the embrace of the canoni- afliation. This suggests an interest- religious traces, sometimes in the most cal Orthodox church: to recognize the ing observation of imaginaries about unexpected places. ≈ church they formally chose as canonical. Ukraine shared in foreign countries, Yuliya Yurchuk Formally, it is not the UOC-KP that gained which are largely shaped by historical PhD in History and Post-doctoral independence, though. It was a newly narratives that put anti-Semitism at their Researcher at Sdertrn University. established church that was granted the core. Michal Wawrzonek’s article sheds Tomos, but in practice it was the churches light on the social role of the Ukrainian Note: This Special Section is a part of Yuliya and parishes of the UOC-KP that formed Greek Catholic Church. He argues that Yurchuk’s post-doctoral project “Religion and the core of this new church. although the church is not big in terms Politics in Ukraine: The Influence of Churches of the number of believers and parishes and Religious Traditions in Formation of Col- The many aspects of and is limited to the western region of the lective Memory” funded by the Foundation religion in Ukraine today country, it is a strong actor in the coun- of Baltic and East European Studies. This In the following articles and interviews, try’s social life. Wawrzonek traces the collective work resulted from the workshop more nuanced questions of religion are church’s involvement in the most decisive “Religion, Politics and Memory in the Eastern discussed. In his essay, Andriy Fert takes moments of history of the country in the Europe: the Case of Ukraine” organized at up the question of the public presentation 20th and 21st centuries and demonstrates Sdertrn University in September 27, 2019, of the church’s independence in ofcial that throughout history, this church had thanks to the grant from CBEES. discourses of political and ecclesiastical a powerful impact on social mobilization leaders. He argues that during the presi- and resistance to authorities. dency of Petro Poroshenko (2014—2019), references the church independence was presented IN THE INTERVIEWS, two distinguished 1 See: Andrew Wilson, Ukraine Crisis: What as a triumph of historical justice after scholars of religion from Ukraine share it Means for the West (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014); Andrew Wilson, centuries of repression and persecution. their own ideas about the current re- Ukraine’s Orange Revolution (New Haven: Yale Hence, debates on church history were ligious situation in the country. Viktor University Press, 2005); Serhy Yekelchyk, The positioned in a framework of decoloniza- Yelensky, a professor of religion who has Confict in Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to tion and nationalization, which is in line published extensively on a vast range of Know (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015); with the politics of history conducted religious issues, discusses the position of Thomas Grant, Aggression against Ukraine: in Ukraine after the Euromaidan pro- religions and diferent religious actors in Territory, Responsibility, and International tests.20 Tymofi Brik’s study approaches a the ongoing military confict in Ukraine in Law (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). broadly debated question that was raised a broader perspective of societal changes. 2 See social survey of the Razumkov Center after the presidential election in Ukraine He was the member of Ukrainian Parlia- “Osoblyvosti relihiinoho i tserkovno- relihiinoho samovyznachennia ukaiins’kyh in 2019: Why then president Petro Poro- ment of the 8th convocation and a mem- hromadian: tendentsii 2010 -2018”, 2018 shenko’s campaign, with the emphasis on ber of the Ukrainian delegation to the https://risu.org.ua/ua/index/all_news/ religion and Ukrainian Orthodox Church Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of community/social_questioning/70946/. independence as supported by most Europe. Accessed June 12, 2020. It should be noted , did not resonate with the vot- Sociologist Tetiana Kalenychenko, an that the surveys done after 2014 do not ers, who elected expert in the include population on the territory of Volodymyr “THE CHURCH feld of religion the Crimea and the territories which are Zelensky with and confict not under the control of the Ukrainian government in the east of the country. an overwhelm- INDEPENDENCE resolution who 3 Ibid. ing majority of WAS PRESENTED works both at 75%. Brik shows AS A TRIUMPH OF the University 4 Ibid. that the Tomos and in diferent 5 The only national census in Ukraine was conducted in 2001. In the introduction, like did play a role HISTORICAL JUSTICE NGOs, shares her other scholars who deal with Ukraine, I use in Poroshenko’s experiences at AFTER CENTURIES the latest surveys conducted by research support but it diferent peace institutions. One of most reliable sources was not enough OF REPRESSION AND building projects is the Razumkov Center which conducts for his victory. PERSECUTION.” and refects on qualitative surveys on regular basis; I refer Alla Marchenko how religion can to their results in the Introduction. On the also approaches the presidential election be instrumentalized in confict transfor- census 2001 see: Census 2001, http://2001. 2019 in her study. She noticed a paradoxi- mation. ukrcensus.gov.ua/. See more on Islam in Ukraine e.g.: Brylov, D. “Ukrainian Muslims cal situation when international media All these articles and interviews show Between Religion and Politics”, in: Catherine writing on candidates took up the issue the importance of including religion in Wanner & Julia Buyskykh (eds.), The which was largely absent in the Ukrainian the studies of societies and look closer Anthropology of Religion: Comparative Studies media — Volodymyr Zelensky’s Jewish into complex entanglements that reveal from the Carpathians to the Caucasus [in introduction 73

Ukrainian] (Kyiv: Dukh i Litera, 2019). 2012.” In Sociology of Religion, 80(1), 2019: 45 6 Paul Robert Magosci and Johanan Petrovsky- — 82, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sry005; special section Shtern, Jews and Ukrainians: A Millennium of Alfons Brning, “Orthodox Autocephaly Co-Existence. (Toronto: University of Toronto in Ukraine: The Historical Dimension.” Press, 2016). In Churches in the , edited essay by Andrii Kravchuk and Thomas Bremer 7 Ibid. 74 Church Independence (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016): 79 - 102. 8 Elmira Muratova, Islam v sovremennom as historical justice. 15 Plokhy and Sysyn 2003. Krymu: indicatory i problemy protsessa Politics of history vozrodzdeniya (Simferopol: Elinio, 2008). 16 Elizabeth A. Clark and Dmytro Vovk. Religion explaining the meaning during the Russian-Ukrainian Confict (New 9 Elmira Muratova, “Islamic Groups of Crimea: of the Tomos in Ukraine York: Routledge, 2020); Andrii Kravchuk and Discourses and Politics.” Anthropology & 2018–2019, Andriy Fe rt Thomas Bremer. Churches in the Ukrainian Archeology of Eurasia 53 (3): 9–24, 2014. https:// Crisis. (New York, London: Palgrave doi.org/10.1080/10611959.2014.1024064 peer-reviewed Macmillan, 2016). 10 Alina Zubkovych, “Politics of Cinematic 17 According to Razumkov Center survey, in articles Representation of Crimean Tatars in 2013, 27.7% responded that they belonged 84 Electoral effects of the Ukraine: 2003-2018”. Euxeinos — Culture and to Moscow Patriarchate and 25.9% to Kyiv Tomos, Tymofii Brik Governance in the Black Sea Region 9 (28) 2019: Patriarchate. Compare to respective fgure 47-64. 100 The personal is political. of 12.8% and 28.7% in 2018. See: Razumkov Volodymyr Zelensky 11 Nicholas E. Denysenko, The Orthodox Church Center. 2013. Relihiia i vlada v Ukraiini: in Ukraine. A Century of Separation (Northern in the spotlight of the problem vzaiemovidnosyn. https://www.irs. Illinois University Press, 2018); Serhii Plokhy international mainstream in.ua/fles/publications/2013.04.23_Razumkov_ and Frank E. Sysyn, Religion and Nation in media, Alla Marchenko Center__Religion_and_Authority_irs.in.ua. Modern Ukraine (CIUS Press: 2003). pdf Razumkov Center. 2018. Report on 113 Ukrainian Greek 12 Cyril Hovorun, “The Cause of Ukrainian Religion in Ukraine. http://razumkov.org.ua/ Catholic Church as Autocephaly.” In Religion during the Russian- uploads/article/2018_Religiya.pdf (accessed an agent of the social Ukrainian Confict, edited Elizabeth A. Clark 18.05.2020). life in Ukraine, and Dmytro Vovk (New York: Routledge 18 Democratic Initiative Foundation. 2015. Bilshist’ Michał Wawrzonek 2020): 180 - 191. naselennia Ukriiny vidnosyt sebe perevazhno do 13 Catherine Wanner, “Public religions after Pravoslavnoii Tserkvy Kyivs’koho Patriarhatu, interviews socialism: redefning norms of diference.” In https://dif.org.ua/article/bilshist-naselennya- 92 Tetiana Kalenychenko. Religion, State & Society, 46:2, 2018: 88 - 95, DO ukraini-vidnosit-sebe-perevazhno-do- “The role of religion I:10.1080/09637494.2018.1465245 pravoslavnoi-tserkvi-kiivskogo-patriarkhatu in peacebuilding is 14 On the role of historical narratives and (accessed May 18, 2020). undervalued”, Yuliya religion see: Andriy Fert, “Equivocal Memory: 19 Ibid. What does the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Yurchuk 20 See: Barbara Trnquist-Plewa and Yuliya of the Moscow Patriarchate Remember?” In 96 Viktor Yelensky. “The Yurchuk, “Memory Politics in Contemporary Religion during the Russian-Ukrainian Confict, Ukraine. Refections from the post-colonial war has become a serious edited Elizabeth A. Clark and Dmytro Vovk perspective”, Memory Studies Journal, 12 (6), challenge for religious (New York: Routledge 2020., 192-210); Tymofi 2019: 699 — 720. actors in Ukraine”, Brik, “When Church Competition Matters? Yuliya Yurchuk Intra-doctrinal Competition in Ukraine, 1992–

The image of Zelensky The narrative of the The role of religion in media Tomos of autocephaly in peacebuilding The Jewish background of Recognition of the autocephaly of “our In small communities, it is the reli- Volodymyr Zelensky, the president church” from Moscow could not help gious actors who enjoy trust of the of Ukraine, was specifically discussed in but become a “restoration of historical justice” community and who have access to all the “American and Israeli newspapers. Page 100 “in the eyes of so many. Page 74 “community’s members. Page 92