On Churches in Ukraine

Recently I heard on X that Zelenski closes churches and that somehow concerns American religious right. While that possibly true, there is a good enough reason for him to do it, existence of Moscow Patriarchate Church in Ukraine. 

This is a church controlled by Patriarch of Moscow, Kiril. He is close ally of Putin and uses Churches under his control to advance Russian agenda. That includes churches in Ukraine who got instructions from Moscow to describe Russian aggression as "holy war" in their sermons and pray for Putin's victory and Ukraine's destruction. Russia has always treated its official church as a tool of political influence and Russian churches across the globe brainwashes its members with Russian propaganda. Patriarch Kiril, who has close ties to Putin and controlled by Russian FSB, makes sure these churches do and say what FSB wants them to. Thus, churches under Moscow Patriarchate are not genuine houses of God, but tentacles of overreaching Russian big government that stick its nose where it does not belong.  

Such pseudo-churches simply cannot be allowed even in peace time, much less in war. Thus, it is only natural that Ukrainian parliament will ban this organization.

I need to clarify that ban does not mean that churches that people attend will close. Far from it, it only compels individual churches to break their ties with Moscow and stop obeying their instructions. Churches could join newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine or form another association not controlled by Moscow and continue to work as before. Sure, there could be disruptions in church operations as Russia will not want to lose their "churches" and would disrupt church operations using hired thugs to protect their "propaganda assets". Ukraine should be assisted in dealing with these thugs to liberate its churches from Moscow control.

One of the reasons for Russian war in Ukraine was likely establishment of Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartolomew wanted to unite disparate churches of Ukraine into one strong patriotic church with international recognition and free from Moscow control.

Moscow did not take that lightly at all and literary excommunicated Patriarch Bartolomew. Russia and Patriarch Kiril behaved like a middle-age inquisition and Salem witch hunters. A lengthy conflict ensured that continues to this day.

In light of this conflict, it is hypocritical for Russia to now claim that its stands for religious freedom and oppose bans on churches. In Russia itself any Orthodox church outside of Moscow Patriarchate will not be allowed to operate at all, yet Russia insists that it should be different in Ukraine. That is double standards and hypocrisy. 

Finally, a single state church is actually a norm throughout Europe. Lutheran and Anglican tradition favors that approach. Catholics go even further and have unified global structure. American practice with fully independent churches with no hierarchies above them is unique to the states. Churches outside the US operate closer to Episcopal Church (United States). 

In Ukraine there are no fully autonomous and independent churches like Baptists or Methodists have in the US. Instead, there are several conflicting structures, similar to Episcopal Church. One of these is a branch of Russian church that Moscow uses as tool of influence.

In line with this establishment of Orthodox Church of Ukraine is step in the right direction that creates national church for Ukraine. UK, Germany and Scandinavians all have the same arrangements for their own national churches. In like with that OCU should be able to unite and operate all or most of the churches in Ukraine. Russia should not be allowed to interfere with this process with religious colonialism of Moscow Patriarchate.