Challenging 2023: 12 key events

Key events for the UOC in 2023. Photo: UOJ

The year of 2023 is coming to an end. It has been very challenging for Ukraine, Ukrainians, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Let's remember the 12 most important events, in our view.

1. Examination of the UOC Statute by the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience

On February 1, 2023, the State Ethnopolitics published the results of its "expertise" and concluded that the UOC is a part of the ROC and is subordinate to it. Moreover, the experts were not bothered by the fact that the new UOC Statute does not mention the ROC at all.

"The adoption of a new version of the Statute on the governance of the UOC (dated May 27, 2022) and the resolution of the Council of the UOC did not result in the rupture of the ecclesiastical-canonical relation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Russian Orthodox Church. The status of the UOC as a structural division of the ROC, enjoying certain rights of independence but not forming an autocephalous Church, remains unchanged," said the State Ethnopolitics.

This "examination" opened the door to the legislative prohibition of the UOC's activities, and a corresponding bill has already been voted on by the Verkhovna Rada in the first reading.

Professor of Theology at the University of Münster, Thomas Bremer, called this "commission's expertise" biased and manipulative, stating that it is unacceptable to apply the practice of collective responsibility and ban an entire denomination based on criminal proceedings against individuals.

2. Commencement of "services" by the OCU at the Lavra

After the Ministry of Culture terminated the agreement with the UOC for the lease of the temples of the Upper Lavra (Assumption and Refectory), the OCU began to "serve" there. The first "service" led by Epifaniy (Dumenko) took place on the feast of Christmas, January 7, 2023, in the Assumption Cathedral. The event was attended by key state figures, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

For their initial services at the Lavra, the OCU could still manage to gather parishioners, utilizing free buses from regions and an active promotional campaign on social media.

But all subsequent "services" by the OCU took place and continue to take place with nearly empty churches. Many seized churches in cities and villages across Ukraine remain closed, as those who seized them have no interest in praying.

3. Visit of members of the Holy Synod to the President

On March 20, another meeting of the Holy Synod of the UOC took place. Discussions focused on attempts by authorities to expel the monastic community of the UOC from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and violations of the rights of Ukrainian citizens to freedom of religion. The Synod members decided to visit the Office of the President for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.

A representative of the President approached the hierarchs of the UOC to "receive their appeal", but they insisted on a personal meeting with the guarantor of the Constitution. This request was denied. For two hours, the elderly individuals were forced to stand, but V. Zelensky did not deign to meet with them. To "resolve" the situation, a siren was activated, lasting for 15 minutes, precisely to compel the hierarchs to leave. This vividly and unequivocally demonstrated the government's attitude toward the UOC and its multi-million flock.

4. Special operation in the Lavra, betrayal by Lotysh

After the Ministry of Culture refused to renew the lease of two temples of the Upper Lavra with the UOC starting from January 1, 2023, it was the turn of the Lower Lavra. Under absurd pretexts, the authorities terminated the indefinite lease agreement of all temples and buildings of the Lower Lavra with the Church and demanded that the premises be vacated by March 29. However, the monks were given the opportunity to stay—by simply joining the OCU. Everyone refused except one—Avraamiy Lotysh, whom Dumenko rewarded for betrayal with the position of "acting abbot". The authorities allocated a building for Lotysh's residence in the Lavra, viz. the one where Metropolitan Onuphry used to live.

The faithful rose to defend their sanctuary. Starting from March 29, when reserve officials came to seize the premises, hundreds of parishioners came for prayer vigils and prevented the invaders from entering the buildings. On the other hand, activists were mobilized, demanding the expulsion of the monks and the establishment of the OCU in the Lavra.

Eventually, with the assistance of special forces and the police, the reserve took over several buildings of the Lavra, but they failed to take control of the entire monastery. The conflict moved to the legal realm. The authorities did not wait for the monks to switch to Dumenko. To achieve some victory, the reserve, since August, has prohibited access to the territory of the Lower Lavra for everyone except the monks and their employees. Now, venerating the relics of the venerable Kyiv-Pechersk saints can only be done by paying for a guided tour. At the same time, believers gather daily outside the monastery for prayer vigils.

5. Criminal cases against hierarchy

Law enforcement agencies have referred criminal cases to the courts against four hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

In August 2023, the Vinnytsia City Court sentenced the acting head of the Tulchyn Diocese of the UOC, Metropolitan Jonathan (Yeletskikh), to five years of imprisonment with asset confiscation on charges of justifying Russian aggression in Ukraine. The bishop and his lawyers disagreed with the verdict and filed an appeal, which is currently under consideration, while the metropolitan is under house arrest. There is video evidence showing representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) falsifying the case against Metropolitan Jonathan by planting leaflets during a search. However, this did not produce any impact on the court.

On October 20, 2023, the SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office submitted an indictment to the court against the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), suspected of "inciting interreligious discord" and "justifying armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine." He faces up to 8 years of imprisonment with asset confiscation.

Metropolitan Theodosiy (Snigirev) Cherkasy and Kaniv is also accused of "inciting interreligious discord", and his case is currently being heard in court.

Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) of Bancheny, a hero of Ukraine and father of 400 orphaned children, many of whom have severe disabilities, is similarly accused of the same offense. His words about criminal persecution can be considered the quintessence of the clergy and believers' attitude towards persecution and their persecutors: "I say – it is a joy when you taste something from these bitter trials, or prison – whatever happens, I don't care. The main thing is – we suffer for our faith! For our Ukrainian Orthodox Church. <...> I asked the Lord God to have mercy on all those persecutors who have raised their hand against the Church of God and the servants of the Church today. I am ashamed that it turns out like this – they judge us without cause."

6. Pogroms and seizure of churches

In 2023, church seizures and violent attacks against believers not only continued but reached a new level. The actions of the OCU and the authorities are shocking in their audacity and cruelty. In Western Ukraine, cathedral churches of the UOC in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Varash, Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi, and Bila Tserkva were seized within a month. In small towns and villages, hundreds of seizures were taking place.

7. Seizure of the UOC churches by the Russian Orthodox Church

Not only the OCU is taking control of UOC churches but also the ROC in territories occupied by the Russian army. Just a month after the start of the war, on March 24, 2022, the ROC Synod established a rather peculiar structure – the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate for the Affairs of Dioceses in Near Abroad Countries. On September 30, 2022, when documents on the annexation of Ukrainian territories (Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions) by Russia were signed in the Kremlin, representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate announced that this Administration would take over Ukrainian dioceses in the captured territories. In 2023, this indeed happened, with the wording "in response to the appeal of the clergy and believers to join the ROC."

On December 27, the ROC Synod decided to establish the UOC Diocese in the Kherson region, located in the occupied Russian Federation lands, and the Skadovsk Diocese with the cathedral center in Skadovsk. According to the text, this decision was made in response to the "appeal" to Patriarch Kirill by the "majority" of clergy of the Kherson Diocese of the UOC and residents of the Nikolaev Women's Monastery.

Former rector of the Kazan Church in the village of Akimovka, Dmitry Arabadzhi, who was forced to leave the occupied territory of the Berdiansk Diocese, explained how such transitions actually occur. According to him, the occupiers forced Metropolitan Ephraim of Berdiansk to leave his diocese, and the FSB conducted "work" among the clergy, resulting in appeals to Patriarch Kirill.

8. Persecution of cross processions vs Hasidim

In 2023, Ukrainian authorities attempted to ban several traditional religious processions. For example, every year for almost 200 years, on August 19, a religious procession sets out from Kamyanets-Podilskyi (Khmelnytskyi region) to the Holy Assumption Pochaiv Lavra. However, on July 21, 2023, the Defense Council of the Khmelnytskyi region prohibited mass religious events, including this traditional procession, from August 19 to 25, 2023. The Volochysk City Council of the Khmelnytskyi region prohibited UOC believers participating in the procession to the Pochaiv Lavra from passing through the populated areas of the Volochysk territorial community. Similar decisions were made by the deputies of the Ternopil Regional Council. These actions represent a blatant violation of the constitutional rights of Ukrainian citizens and a clear abuse of authority by government bodies. Police checkpoints attempted to stop processions, law enforcement officials detained and prevented buses with pilgrims from proceeding on the procession, issued summonses to men, and so on.

Pilgrims had to change routes, walk through fields, but the religious processions still took place.

Meanwhile, all other religious organizations, such as the UGCC and RCC, conducted their processions not only unhindered but also with the support of the authorities. For example, DESS officials and local authorities were involved in organizing the pilgrimage of Hasidim to Uman. This is despite the mayor of Uman admitting that the city cannot provide bomb shelters for the 35,000 incoming pilgrims in case of shelling. The fact that the state organizes pilgrimages for foreign citizens while simultaneously prohibiting its own citizens is an example of particular cynicism.

9. Strike on the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa

The Holy Synod, convened at the end of 2023, reported grim statistics on the war's impact:

• 14 clergy members killed and 5 missing;
• 20 injured priests;
• 119 destroyed churches;
• 329 damaged churches;
• 30 monasteries either destroyed or damaged.

However, the symbol of the UOC's losses in the war was the strike on the Transfiguration Cathedral of the UOC in Odesa on the night of July 23.

A rocket hit the altar of the cathedral, completely destroying it. The rest of the church suffered severe damage. People who were inside the Cathedral at the time miraculously survived. The miraculous Kasperivska icon of the Mother of God was also saved.

The Italian government is assisting in the restoration of the cathedral, and the work has already begun.

10. New style of the OCU and UGCC: A new division in Ukraine

Starting from September 1, the OCU and UGCC transitioned to the new Julian / Gregorian calendar. The state welcomed this transition and adjusted the grid of public holidays accordingly. For example, Defender's Day of Ukraine, traditionally celebrated on the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God, was moved from October 14 to October 1. Christmas was shifted from January 7 to December 25, and so on.

Both denominations stated that communities and monasteries not ready for such a change could temporarily remain on the old calendar. One of the monasteries of the OCU, specifically the male monastery in Bania-Bereziv in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, not only rejected this new style but also sharply criticized the transition to the new calendar, stating that it was a step towards a new union with Catholics.

11. Law banning the UOC and Tucker Carlson's broadcast

On October 19, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada, with 267 votes from MPs, passed in the first reading Bill No. 8371, which aims to prohibit the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine with a leadership center in an aggressor state.

This bill poses a threat to ban the activities of the UOC, although it does not explicitly mention it in its text. Many Ukrainian and international experts, as well as human rights organizations, have labeled this bill as a violation of the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and the principle of equality before the law.

An interview with the American journalist Tucker Carlson and lawyer-human rights defender Bob Amsterdam was dedicated to this bill and other violations of the rights of UOC believers. The interview, published in Russian on the Union of Orthodox Journalists' YouTube channel, garnered over 1.5 million views. In total, on Twitter alone (where Carlson and Elon Musk reposted the broadcast on their pages), the interview was viewed by more than 100 million people within just 3 days. This is a case where one can say the video went viral on the internet.

This signifies that the persecution of the UOC abroad has attracted widespread public attention, and Ukrainian authorities can no longer silence it. However, an attempt was made to do so. Ukrainian authorities urgently sent an AUCCRO delegation to the U.S. to assure Americans that there are "no persecutions" in Ukraine. It is unlikely that this attempt was successful.

12. The First "official" new-calendar Christmas

On December 25, Ukraine celebrated Christmas as the only date officially recognized by the state. Just a year ago, the state considered both December 25 and January 7 as public holidays. However, when the OCU and UGCC simultaneously transitioned to the new calendar in the middle of autumn, the authorities canceled the celebration of January 7. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the entire Ukraine celebrates Christmas on December 25, and the National Police reported about 10 million citizens attending churches. However, the accuracy of these claims can be judged by the photos of the Christmas "service" of the OCU in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Epilogue

The year 2023 was tragic and challenging. External aggression and internal persecutions, hatred and discord in society, persecutions by the authorities, violence, and lawlessness. But the Church stands, fulfilling its salvific mission, witnessing monastic tonsures, baptisms, and ordinations into the sacred priesthood. The Church lives and remembers the words of the Savior: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).

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