“If the conflictual paradigm of relations is not overcome, the inter-Orthodox crisis will never be resolved,” - the religious scholar

Ukrainian religious scholar Gennadiy Khrystokin believes that the OCU and the UOC are not ready for a dialogue. Among the reasons listed by the expert is the conflict component of the relationship. Khrystokin confirmed that the OCU, seizing the moment, is expanding at the expense of UOC parishes, and having received a “loan of trust” from the authorities and society, it is actually taking revenge on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for past insults. He said this in an interview with RISU.

“Indeed, we are all witnesses to the intolerance of inter-Orthodox relations, the devaluation of each other by representatives of Orthodox jurisdictions, and the unwillingness to listen and understand. Indeed, we should get rid of illusions and be sober and wise here – if the conflict paradigm of relations is not realized and overcome, the inter-Orthodox crisis will never be fundamentally resolved. Let’s be realistic: the current paradigm of their conflictual existence leads to a dead end, there is no point in going any further, and prolonging the situation only complicates things. We need to look for a way out and do it constructively,” – said Khrystokin.

The religious scholar added that the OCU is openly taking advantage of the opportunity, as today it is considered “the church of the Ukrainian people.” Due to this, the organization is expanding at the expense of the UOC parishes and is actually taking revenge on the canonical Church for past insults.

“Having received the support of the authorities and the Tomos, the OCU has received a huge advance for the future. It actively demonstrates in the symbolic field of the media that it is national, Ukrainian, patriotic, and is perceived as a Ukrainian Church by the majority, because it forms the Ukrainian identity and symbolizes the unity of religion and people. However, the OCU carries a heavy burden of the past – grievances, its own corporate interests, a desire to seize the moment and expand. There is not only an ideal goal here, but also a hidden interest – now it seems that there is a just retribution for the previous years of humiliation. It is ready for a dialogue with the UOC on its own terms, which it is trying to speed up in order to deprive its competitor of advantages,” – he added.

Earlier, the former bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who joined the OCU in 2018, Oleksandr Drabinko, admitted that the OCU seizes churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, often doing so “illegally.” Drabinko is convinced that such behavior by OCU representatives does not contribute to the unification process of the two denominations. In his opinion, if this did not happen, the dialog between the UOC and the OCU would be established faster.