Creation of the "Romanian Church of Ukraine": the first conclusions
The Synod of the Romanian Patriarchate has created its structure in Ukraine. What could this mean?
On February 29, 2024, the Romanian Patriarchate established the "Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine" (ROCU) for Romanian communities in Ukraine. This decision raised many questions and emotions. For example, "bishop" Victor Bed’ called it a provocation against the OCU and accused Romanians of collaborating with the FSB. What is really happening?
Reasons for the ROCU creation
In Ukraine, there are over 120 Orthodox communities of Romanian ethnicity. Until recently, they have unconditionally recognized the Romanian Patriarchate as part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
However, starting in 2023, when the rhetoric of Ukrainian authorities towards the UOC became extremely aggressive, Romanians increasingly expressed concern that their blood brothers living in Ukraine needed protection – from the authorities and the OCU. It reached the point where individual politicians, public figures and some political organizations appealed to Romanian-speaking Orthodox parishes in Ukraine to join the Romanian Patriarchate. In February 2023, we wrote: "Given the pressure faced by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine today, the possibility of Ukrainian Romanians coming under the authority of the Romanian Patriarch does not seem improbable." The decision of the Synod of the Romanian Church to create its structure in Ukraine confirms our assumption.
In addition, Metropolitan Clement (Vecheria), head of the Synodal Information and Education Department of the UOC, also said this in a commentary to the UOJ: "With its decisions, the Romanian Church has testified to the world the fact of possible open state prohibitions and persecutions against the UOC, which Romanian-speaking parishes and monasteries in the territories adjacent to modern Romania belong to." He continued, "By offering its jurisdiction to such church units, the Romanian Church acknowledges the obvious danger that they may be outlawed in Ukraine or even worse - directly banned. This is a loud signal to the Ukrainian parliament about how European countries perceive Ukrainian policy and what consequences it will have."
The OCU and the authorities
To better understand what is happening, we should consider two factors.
Firstly, we assert that the creation of the Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine would have been impossible without the activities of Dumenko and the Ukrainian authorities. It is the persecution against the OCU that has created a favourable environment and a justifying foundation for Romanians to establish their structure in Ukraine. For example, Romanian politician and former MP Zhelu Vishan referred to the searches conducted by the SBU in UOC eparchies as "gross violations of religious rights and human rights", as well as "ethnic and religious purges". Of course, "hurrah-patriots" may claim that there is no ethnic or religious cleansing in Ukraine, and Vishan is just a provocateur. But it's not that simple because the MP from the "European Solidarity" faction, Volodymyr Vyatrovych, stated that those who do not accept the existence of the Ukrainian Church (referring to the OCU) should leave Ukraine. Romanian parishes within the UOC do not accept the OCU at all. So, do they also "have to leave Ukraine"? Because that's how the situation is perceived in neighbouring Romania.
Another politician, a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament, Dumitru-Viorel Focsa, said that "Romanian priests are being terrorized and forced to join the new political church, leaving the autonomous canonical Church of Ukraine." Isn't Focsa right?
In July 2019, Dumenko's "Holy Synod" created a "Romanian vicariate" within the OCU, inviting "Romanian" communities from the UOC. However, the results of this vicariate's work were dismal. Because not a single Romanian-speaking parish from over 120 within the UOC shifted to Dumenko! Meanwhile, representatives of the OCU behave extremely aggressively towards Romanians in Ukraine. Here's just one example: in Tovtry, Dumenko's supporters, led by the dean of the OCU, Vitaliy Menzak, accused Romanian believers of the UOC of being "Moscow titushki" and told the priest to leave for Romania. And this is far from the only instance.
For this reason, the creation of the ROCU was only a matter of time. After all, as early as January 2023, the spokesperson of the Romanian Patriarchate, Vasile Banescu, stated that "Orthodox Romanians in Ukraine, including priests, have a Christian duty to respond wisely, honestly, and realistically to the tragic reality" that exists in Ukraine today.
No matter how much Bed’ accuses Romanians of collaborating with the FSB now, and the OCU "chaplain" Roman Hryshchuk calls their decision "a stab in the back of Ukrainians" and "brazen interference in the affairs of another state", they are the ones to blame, along with their accomplices. Because Ukrainian "patriot" politicians, together with Dumenko's supporters, did everything to make Romanians feel extremely uncomfortable in Ukraine and sought a way to help them keep their faith and identity.
The 'Romanian world' and the global Orthodoxy
On the other hand, one cannot rule out the desire of the Romanian Patriarchate to take control of Romanian diasporas worldwide. According to former protodeacon of the ROC, Andrey Kurayev, this desire is partly dictated by ethnophyletic reasons, and partly by the desire of Romanians to build their own 'Romanian world.' One cannot deny the logic behind such claims. Indeed, during the same session of the Romanian Church Synod on February 29, several decisions were made indirectly indicating that some "ethnophyletic" processes on the part of Romanians do take place.
For instance, the Synod established the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Great Britain with its centre in London and the Dublin-based Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Ireland and Iceland. These two structures became part of the European Metropolis of the Romanian Church with its centre in Paris, where there were previously three dioceses (now five). If we add to this the fact that Romanian dioceses exist all over the world and continue to multiply, it becomes obvious that the Romanian Patriarchate is doing exactly what the Phanar so vehemently protests against.
It is worth noting that, according to Istanbul theologians (first expressed in the last century by Patriarch Meletius), the Ecumenical Patriarchate spiritually guide Orthodox Christians in territories not under the jurisdiction of other Local Churches. In other words, according to the Phanar, Romanians living, for example, in Great Britain, Ireland, and Iceland are considered the children of Patriarch Bartholomew, not Patriarch Daniel.
For the Phanariots, this moment is so important and sensitive that in the case of the OCU, they "played safe" and included a clause about the diaspora in the Tomos, according to which Dumenko cannot establish his parishes outside of Ukraine. In this sense, the actions of the Romanians are a direct challenge to the Phanar, which is reinforced by the fact that now they are operating within the territory of a structure created by Patriarch Bartholomew. However, after almost a week, no statements by the Phanar and the OCU followed (excluding Bed's remarks). Why?
Romanians, the Phanar, and the OCU
The silence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate can be understood in two ways. Firstly, the Phanar remains silent because it wants to demonstrate the "independence" of its brainchild – the OCU. In other words, the Phanar is waiting for a reaction from Dumenko, and only after that will they respond. Otherwise, it may give the impression that Serhii Dumenko is not independent in his judgments and that his structure is under the control of Constantinople (which, in fact, is true).
On the other hand, the creation of the Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine may be a result of negotiations between the Phanar and the Romanians, the price of which is the recognition of the OCU.
In 2019, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to "clarify the problem of non-canonical hierarchs and priests who belonged to the Kyiv Patriarchate". However, during the same session of the Synod, it was stated that "when making a specific decision on the Ukrainian church issue, the fact that there are 127 Romanian parishes, mainly in Northern Bukovina, under the jurisdiction of the UOC, will be taken into account."
In connection with this, Romanian hierarchs emphasized the "need to obtain written guarantees from the church and political authorities of the Ukrainian state that the ethnic and language identity of Romanians will be respected and that Romanian believers will have the opportunity to unite in a Romanian Orthodox vicariate and develop spiritual ties with the Romanian Patriarchate".
According to our information, the Romanian Patriarchate sent a letter to the leadership of Ukraine requesting permission to establish its vicariate in the country but received a polite refusal. In February 2021, the Romanians subtly hinted at the possibility of negotiations on the issue of the OCU when Metropolitan Nifon (Mihăiță) of Tîrgoviște prayed together with the "hierarch" of the OCU, Archbishop Nestor Pysyk of Ternopil and Kremenets, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Patriarch Bartholomew's enthronement. Therefore, if we assume that the Phanar and the Romanians conducted negotiations, resulting in the creation of the Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine, then the price of these negotiations is the recognition of Serhii Dumenko as a canonical "hierarch" by the Romanians.
Moreover, this may be done in a hybrid way. According to our information, there are several dozen (about 40) parishes in Romania associated with the OCU. There is a possibility that in exchange for their silence on the creation of their structure in Ukraine, the Romanians will allow Dumenko to send his "bishop" to Romania, who will "take care" of Ukrainians. Furthermore, as an option, one of the bishops of the Romanian Church may concelebrate with this "bishop," and then the Synod will recognize the canonicity of the OCU. We do not claim that this will happen, but the possibility of such a development cannot be ruled out. At the moment, only 6 parishes are willing to join the newly established "Romanian Church of Ukraine", all of them are from the Odesa and Zakarpattia regions. And if events unfold according to such a scenario, it may turn out that Ukrainian Romanians, seeking to escape from the OCU by joining the Romanian Patriarchate, will end up... in the OCU.
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In any case, the situation is very complex and unpredictable. The Romanians have acted contrary to the canons and demonstrated there is real chaos in modern Orthodoxy. This process was triggered by the recognition of Ukrainian schismatics, and where it will ultimately lead us is impossible to predict. The only solution that seems apparent to us at the moment is to convene the Pan-Orthodox Council, which should address the issue of the OCU. Otherwise, we will witness how the universal character of the Orthodox Church turns into many separate ethnic structures, detached from each other.
