Filipovych: The Events at the Cathedral in Chernivtsi Are a Shared Failure of the State and the Churches

State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience expert Lyudmyla Filipovych called the recent clashes near the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi “a shame for the country” and “the result of the failure of both the state and both Orthodox jurisdictions.” In an interview with journalists, she spoke harshly about the incident and called for a comprehensive assessment of the situation, both from a legal and ecclesiastical point of view. She spoke about this in an interview with Channel 24.

According to her, she followed the situation closely, as the cathedral is tied to her childhood and religious identity. “I am simply ashamed that in the 35th year of our independence we are still at the beginning of this process. And I had the impression that we had returned to the dashing 1990s, but then we had neither experience nor any idea of how church-state relations should be built. Now, with 30 years of forming these relations, and church-state relations in particular, behind us, to see this is simply to sign our own powerlessness,” Filipovych said.

She believes that the actions of both the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) were coordinated and aggressive. “It was clear to me that both sides had their own leaders who acted very aggressively. Everyone is to blame,” she stated.

Filipovych also pointed to the failure of the state’s humanitarian policy. In her view, the government has not developed a strategy for working with the religious sphere, especially in sensitive regions like Bukovyna. “The state thinks it can pass a law — and everyone will immediately comply. That’s not how it works. There was no preparatory work, no educational outreach,” she said.

Commenting on the behavior of the faithful, she remarked: “The mindset of Orthodox believers today — on both the OCU and UOC sides — is unhealthy. It needs healing.”

According to Filipovych, both churches demonstrated “unchristian attitudes toward one another,” and their leadership deserves a failing grade for neglecting their pastoral responsibilities. She also criticized the OCU’s response, stating that its official reactions were delayed and weak. “You lost, dear ones. Chernivtsi is your defeat,” she concluded.

It should be noted that Liudmyla Filipovych — a well-known promoter of the OCU in the media, Doctor of Philosophy, and professor at the Hryhorii Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine — had earlier criticized MP Mykyta Poturayev’s position regarding a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Filipovych called the MP’s statement — that UOC churches in private ownership should be converted into warehouses or vegetable storage — unacceptable.