Page - 193 - 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 2) Intheverybeginning, theUAOCpromoted its liberationfromMoscowas wellas the“Ukrainisation”andmodernisationoftheChurchasitsownidentity narrative. The UAOC invokes the heritage of the KievMetropolis as its own considering itself as its legitimatecontinuation. 3) In June 1992, the UOC-KP came into being as a merging between the majority ofUAOCandagroupof bishops from theRussianOrthodoxChurch (ROC) under the leadership of Metropolitan Filaret (Denysenko). The new Churchisnation-orientedandembodiesthenarrativeofecclesial independence and strict separation from theMP: sinceUkraine is an independent state, its Church has the right to become an independent (autocephalous) Orthodox Church as other countries havedone.26Themajor problemof thisChurchhas beenthe lackofcanonical legitimacy,which inthis casebelongs to theMP. 4)TheUGCCalsobelongstothetraditionalChurchesofUkraine.Itsnarrative collideswiththatof theMPbecauseitembodiesthesimilar idea“ofunityofthe UkrainianChurchesthat isgroundedintheoriginalunityof theKyivanChurch asestablishedin988,beforethefactualdivisionofChristianitybetweeneastand west in1054”27. Thehealing process between these ecclesial identities inUkraine is thepri- marystep for the reconciliationbothwithin society (betweenapro-Occidental side inWesternUkraine and apro-Russian side inEasternUkraine) andwith Russia.According toMyroslavaRap, “the conflict between the traditionalUk- rainian Churches is a conflict that has in its essence the problem of clashing identitiesinUkraine”28.So,thesedifferentidentitiesthatconflictwitheachother – a fact that aggravates the tensions within the society – must be primarily thematisedandreconciled.Withregardto the identitiesofOrthodoxChurches intheUkraine,themostimportantattempttoreconcilethesedifferentnarratives wascertainly thedecisionof theEPfrom2018tocreateanOrthodoxUkrainian Church. The new ecclesial structure shouldunify the three existentOrthodox Churches intheUkraine, so thatallorthodoxUkrainianscanenjoy the fullness ofEucharisticcommunionwiththerestoftheOrthodoxworld.However,theMP isdisapprovingstronglyof thismove. InitsAppeal from17December2018, the Synodof theUOC-MPdid not recognise Constantinople’s jurisdiction inUk- raine,northecanonicallegitimacyofthe“UnificationCouncil”anddeclaredthe newlyestablishedChurchasschismatic. It concluded: “Moreover, asa resultof recent actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the possibility of the re- unificationofOrthodoxy inUkrainehasnowbeenthrownaside foravery long 26 Rap,TheConflict, pp.209–217. 27 Ibid., p. 215. 28 Ibid., p. 217. “Forgivingoneanother” (Col. 3,13) 193 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0