The autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: a new dividing line for Ukraine?

Abstract

This essay discusses the 2018 path to autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church – the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. I argue that the move towards autocephaly was dictated primarily by politico-ideological reasons and was accompanied by the rise of confrontation and a lack of cooperation. The majority of Orthodox believers, belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, opposed this process, which made them the subject of intimidation campaigns. Overall, the move towards autocephaly, instead of uniting Ukrainians, has only brought about new dividing lines in Ukraine and has contributed to the split in global Orthodoxy.