Now, the Ukraine conflict also has a religious Dimension: On Saturday should be justified in Kiev is a stand – alone Orthodox national Church against the will of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have a religious Dimension. Both countries are traditionally orthodox. And Ukraine has long been of religious leaders in Moscow. But since months there is a politically charged dispute is the exacerbate the already.
The Church in the Ukraine is from the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarchate in Moscow.
This Saturday is supposed to be built in Kiev, a own Orthodox national Church. As the honorary head of all Orthodox Christians, you want to give the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, the self-reliance.
The Church leadership in Moscow has already severed all contacts with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
This conflict is fraught with much explosive force. As a Church historian and Eastern churches expert Rudolf Prokschi can classify the dispute.
DW: Professor Prokschi, how dramatically the conflict in the Orthodoxy is?
Rudolf Prokschi: Pure of the facts is quite dramatic. The Russian Orthodox Church has severed all relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Problem is that Ukraine is local to the Status of a car – independent Church would like to get there for over a hundred years. And now Ukraine is oriented politically strengthened to the West.
Professor Rudolf Prokschi (65) is a Church historian and Eastern churches expert
For many Russians this is impossible, because you say: We belong together: the great Russians, the little Russians – that is Ukraine – and the white Russians. For you is clear: We belong together and we belong together also in the Church.
The dispute is politically charged?
He is very politically charged. It is not a questions of faith. It’s all about Organisation and Power. So far, the Ukrainian Church, which is a very strong Orthodoxy and the stuff would be tied to independence, officially in Moscow. But she’s already divided now: in addition to the connection to the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine there are already churches that have separated from the Patriarchate of Moscow.
These divisions are, however, of the total Orthodoxy, as yet, not recognised. The Ukrainian President Poroshenko has already made several attempts at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, so that the state of Orthodoxy is changed in his country. So far, he had failed always in order.
Why is it any different now?
For some time there are a great deal of tension between the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople and the Moscow Patriarchate. This was, as the Russians took the surprising 2016 on the first pan-Orthodox Synod of the modern era on the island of Crete part.
At the same time, it is clear that after the annexation of Crimea, the political situation has aggravated. And it seems to me there could very well be that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is also a little under pressure from the United States, where many of his faithful life.
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the honorary head of the Orthodoxy. Now he is in a power struggle with Moscow.
How dangerous is it that the churches in Central and Eastern Europe understand national Church?
In the case of the Eastern churches, the national Church principle is much stronger than in the Western churches, predominantly. You can feel the now. Unfortunately, this is not a good sign for a speedy peaceful solution to the problem.
It has in Russia since the end of the tsarist Empire ever such close proximity between the Patriarchate say the Church leaders and the Kremlin, given as it is today?
Certainly not. Also Stalin has at times attempted to instrumentalize the Church. But what is happening now to President Putin, is impressive. At this pace, how quickly the politicians walked.
Putin was a KGB Agent – he has learned very quickly the Orthodox sign of the cross and Lighting the candles …
Now are to high, politicians days the media, in the churches present. Putin is, for many Russians, “the defender of our traditions, of our interests”. And for many he became the “defender of the faith”. With the emphasis on traditional values Putin justified the separation from the West.
Since Vladimir Putin is President, the former KGB Agent demonstrative the proximity to the Church
Which would mean a schism, a Church split, right?
There is a lot of what has been recorded in the Ecumenical conversation well would make that very difficult. The Russians have announced their participation in particular, in the case of a representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate holds the presidency. And the many inter-denominational meetings and events of the case.
If the Russian Orthodoxy is no more important Ecumenical meetings, it is no longer a conversation, for example, of the Catholic Church with Orthodoxy, but only with certain local Orthodox churches. This Blockade would throw the whole of the Ecumenical dialogue for decades.
It would be important that the Catholic and the Protestant Church behavior as neutral as possible and always re-creating platforms on which both sides can participate.