Page - 187 - in Menschenrechte und Gerechtigkeit als bleibende Aufgaben - Beiträge aus Religion, Theologie, Ethik, Recht und Wirtschaft

© 2020, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783847111658 – ISBN E-Lib: 9783737011655 Apart from these threeOrthodoxChurches, there is also theUkrainianGreek CatholicChurch(UGCC).ThisChurchis theresultof theUnionofBrest (1596) andbelongs–togetherwiththeOrthodoxChurches–tothegroupofUkrainian traditional churches.7 TheexistenceofsomanyOrthodoxChurchesinonlyonecountrywherethey havebeenfunctioningside-by-sideinastateofconflicthasalwaysrepresenteda scandaloussituationforOrthodoxyaswholeandhasconsiderablyweakenedthe potential of the Christian faith in this country after the fall of Communism.8 Following theOrangeRevolution (2003), theMaidanRevolution of dignity (2013), theannexationoftheCrimeanPeninsula(2014)andthemilitaryconflict in Eastern Ukraine (from 2014 up to today), the situation of the UOC-MP (canonicaldependentfromMoscow)hasbecomeevermoreprecarious.Despite its numerical and infrastructural supremacy as the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, UOC-MP has lost a significant part of its members. Ac- cording to theRazumkovCenter andRatingpollster, thepercentof thosewho declarethemselvesasmembersofUOC-MPhasdeclinedfrom34.5%in2010to 19.1% in2018. Thepercentage of thosewho consider themselvesmembers of UOC-KPhas increasedfrom15.1%in2010to28.7%in2018. Inthiscontextof dividedChurches, thecategoryofpeoplewhocall themselves“onlyOrthodox” withoutgivingtheirconfessional jurisdictionhasrisento23.4%in2018.These percentages refer to those who consider themselves Orthodox in Ukraine (68.1%in2010and67,3%in2018ofidentifiedcitizens).TheUGCCpossessesa significantnumberofmembers,precisely9.4%of thosepolled.9 Theinabilityof theRussianOrthodoxChurch(ROC)tosolve theproblemof severalschismsonUkrainianterritorymayhaveservedasofficialargumentfor the intervention of the EP in the jurisdiction ofUkraine: “For, as theMother Church, it is reasonable todesire the restorationofunity for thedividedeccle- siasticalbody inUkraine,a faithfulpopulationof tensofmillions,baptizedand enlightened directly through the providence and missionary activity of our 7 MyroslavaRap,TheConflictbetweenTraditionalChristianChurchesinUkraineasaConflict ofIdentities:WheretoSearchfor theProspectsofReconciliation?AReflectionintheLightof theTheoriesofPaulRicoeurandJohnPaulLederach,in:PoliticalTheology16/3/2015,p. 202. 8 This situation goes obviously against the principle of theChurch’s unity as exposed in Joh 17,21:“Thattheyallmaybeone;asthou,Father,art inme,andIinthee,thattheyalsomaybe one inus: that theworldmaybelieve that thouhast sentme”. 9 According toRazumkovpoll (2018) out of~ 30millions ofUkrainian believers 67.3%are OrthodoxChristian.Cf.RazumkovCenter,Religious InformationServiceofUkraine, trans- lation by Euromaidan Press, see: http://euromaidanpress.com/2018/10/14/tomos-guide- ukraine-church-autocephaly/ (accessedonJanuary7th2019);Theoriginal source (inUkrai- nian):RazumkovCenter,ReligionandChurch inUkrainian society: a sociological studyof 2018, Kiev 2018, 4 and 13, see: http://razumkov.org.ua/uploads/article/2018_Religiya.pdf (accessedonJanuary26th2019). “Forgivingoneanother” (Col. 3,13) 187 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0