The Russian/Ukrainian Orthodox Split: What You Need to Know

A power struggle underway in the Eastern Orthodox Church could have significant religious and political implications. Bartholomew I, the patriarch of Constantinople and one of the Orthodox Church’s highest-ranking leaders, declared on October 11 that he will grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. Such autocephaly, or “self-headship,” is a response to ongoing political tensions between Russia and the Ukraine.

Bartholomew hasn’t yet made a formal edict about the move, which would revoke a 1686 decree giving the church in Moscow power over the one in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

Days after Bartholomew’s announcement, the Russian Orthodox Church cut ties with Constantinople. Even before that, when the Ukrainian Church’s intentions of seeking independence became clear, the Russian Church, or Moscow Patriarchate, began taking action. It suspended liturgical prayers for Bartholomew, banned priests from co-presiding with Constantinople bishops at worship services, and stopped participating in gatherings, conversations and commissions led by representatives from Constantinople. Read More

Since the days of the tsars the Russian Orthodox Church has been an organ of the Russian state. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the Russian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a privileged position in the Russian Federation, a position that it is reluctant to relinquish in light of the oppression that the Russian Orthodox Church suffered during the days of the Soviet Union. Other Christian denominations are barely tolerated if they are tolerated at all and are subject to severe restrictions.

The unity of Eastern Orthodoxy is tenuous at best. The two main branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church are the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church which are at odds with each other over a range of issues. It is not surprising that after Bartholomew announced his intention to grant autocephalous status to the Ukranian Orthodox Church, the Moscow Patriarchate reacted negatively to the announcement.