CHURCH & RUSSIAN/UKRAINE WAR

 *THE CHURCH AND THE RUSSIAN/UKRAINE WAR*

There are almost 300 million Orthodox Christians in the world, divided among 15 autocephalous churches and a variety of other branches, with roughly 100 million in Russia and 40 million in Ukraine.

The Russian Orthodox Church regards Ukraine as the cradle of its faith and its "canonical territory", but on the ground Orthodox believers in Ukraine are divided into three separate churches, with only one being directly dependent on Moscow.

A contest has been unfolding for some time for leadership in the Orthodox world between Moscow and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, led by Patriarch Bartholomew I. Broadly speaking Constantinople is considered the *more progressive and pro-Western* point of reference - Bartholomew, for instance, is an *ecumenical* figure who's engaged in multiple partnerships with Pope Francis - while Moscow is seen as *more conservative* and *confrontational*.

In general, Constantinople has the stronger claim to preeminence, rooted in the traditional conception of Constantinople as the " first among equals " in the Orthodox tradition, Moscow, however, has the numbers, the money and the backing of the Russian state.

Religious historian Diana Butler Bass puts it this way:

*"The conflict in Ukraine is all about religion and what kind of Orthodoxy will shape Eastern Europe and other Orthodox communities around the world (especially in Africa)*" she writes.

"This is a crusade, recapturing the Holy Land of Russian Orthodoxy and defeating the westernized (and decadent) heretics who do not bend the knee to Moscow's spiritual authority".

" If you don't get that, you don't get it. Who is going to control the geographical home, the 'Jerusalem', of the Russian church? Moscow? Or Constantinople? And, what does claiming that territory mean for Orthodoxy around the world? Will global Orthodoxy lean toward a more pluralistic and open future, or will it be part of an authoritarian neo-Christendom triumvirate? "

Second, the war in Ukraine may also have important consequences for Church-Orthodox relations, especially as it concerns the fate of the Greek Church in Ukraine, the largest of the world's 23 eastern churches in communion with Rome.

The Greek Christians in Ukraine have long played an outsized role in national affairs, producing generations of scholars and activists working toward the goal of a unified and independent Christian community in the country. Greek Christians are generally strongly pro-Western and resistant to Moscow, playing important roles in Ukraine's  various pro-independence uprisings, and for precisely this reason are likely to be at great risk as the Russian offensive continues to roll out.

Stretching back to Paul VI, the Vatican's broad policy vis-à-vis Russian Orthodoxy has been détente, going to great lengths to avoid confrontation. The soft glove approach was confirmed under Pope John Paul II and his long-cherished dream of a Christianity that would "breathe with both lungs", East and West. The Polish Pope was a relentless opponent of Communism and helped trigger the collapse of the Soviet empire, but he tended to deference and tact when it came to the Russian Orthodox. Perhaps the fallout from the war will be to shape a new Vatican brand of ecumenism, one that's a bit more robust in its capacity to push back.

Third, the current crisis could also impact conservative Christians and Christian circles in the west, who have come to see Putin as an ally in the struggle against Islamic radicalism, especially in terms of protecting persecuted Christians in the Middle East, and in favour of promoting traditional Christian values as a bulwark against secularism.

*On the other side of the war, the global religious landscape is destined to look different. What those differences will be, however, will be determined by the choices religious leaders make right NOW*

*#ecumenism#*

*#Ecumenican Church Nigeria #*

*#ECN#*