What will “spiritual independence” be like tomorrow?
Photo: TSN
1. A CIA report stating that Ukraine ranks first in the world in terms of mortality rate and last in birth rate (18.6 deaths and 6 births per 1,000 people, respectively).
2. A statement from Ukrainian MP Mykola Kniazhytsky claiming that hundreds of thousands of applications for renouncing Ukrainian citizenship are pending in consulates worldwide.
The exact population of Ukraine is uncertain. According to last year's statement by U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, the population stands at 28 million, while analysts using the number of active SIM cards estimate a much lower figure. With such dire birth and death rates, Ukraine's population is expected to continue declining.
Even before Russia's invasion, the Ukrainian Institute of Demography predicted a large influx of migrants with different mentalities, cultures and religions. This trend will likely intensify after the war, as central European territories with rich resources will not remain unpopulated.
Why are we writing all this?
The point is that the denominations that talk about “Ukrainian faith” and “spiritual independence”, that try to fit into the framework of the state and nationalist system of coordinates, may very soon fade into history. They simply will not be interesting to the new part of the Ukrainian population.
And then someone will have to rediscover the Holy Scriptures and remember that there is not and cannot be Ukrainian, Russian, French or any other faith in the Church. That in Christ there is neither Hellene nor Jew. You either confess Christ or you don't.
But when you are always engaged in “freeing spiritual space”, it can be so freed that you will not find yourself in this space...
Read also
On the collapsed cornice of St. Sophia of Kyiv
On June 10, Culture Minister Rostyslav Tochytskyi announced that the Saint Sophia Cathedral had been damaged during a night-time Russian strike.
Has the presidential race begun?
Former President Petro Poroshenko has unexpectedly resumed promoting the main slogan of his 2019 presidential campaign: “Army–Faith–Language.”
Why Church persecutors are pathetic plagiarists
Many Church Fathers expressed thoughts that can be summarized by one well-known phrase: "The devil is the ape of God."
All denominations in Ukraine are equal but some are more equal than others
On June 5, the Dnipro Court of Appeal confirmed the transfer of the St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the Roman Catholic Church community.
On Russia’s “defense” of the UOC
For all the critics, the argument is always the same: if Russia defends the UOC, then it must be a Russian Church – and therefore, it must be destroyed further.
OCU: To steal and seize
The church community is trying to defend its temple from outsiders – armed with angle grinders, knives, bolt cutters, and crowbars – who are storming churches to which they have no connection whatsoever.