Ukrainian Orthodoxy has long suffered from division and hostility. Yet, numerous attempts to overcome the schism have constantly encountered both covert and overt resistance from the Moscow Patriarchate. Particularly, the Ecumenical Patriarch’s sincere desire to cure this division by returning the part of Ukrainian Orthodoxy that was in schism to church communion and granting the Tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine not only failed to find support in the Russian Orthodox Church and its satellites in Ukraine, but also became a kind of trigger for them to create and deepen the schism in Universal Orthodoxy. It was becoming increasingly clear that the Moscow Patriarchate was only interested in expanding its influence in the Orthodox world and was not going to let anyone out of its “canonical claws.”
The large-scale Russian aggression launched on February 24, 2022, was a turning point and a bloody moment in the history of both the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Despite the deceitful statements of Moscow Patriarch Kirill about “one people” and “one Orthodox flock,” the Russian Orthodox Church has set a course to justify the bloody war and bless the aggressor for the “sin of Cain.” The commandments of God, the teachings of Christ and the Church Fathers were no longer an authority for the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, who began to rely on the criminal ideas of the Russian dictator and the instructions of the “almighty” Federal Security Service in his words and actions. Given these conditions, Patriarch Kirill had no canonical or moral right to be a “great master and father” for the multimillion Ukrainian flock. This prompted some of the Ukrainian clergy to take decisive action.
On April 10, 2022, Archpriest Andrii Pinchuk, a cleric of the Dnipro Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, made a video address to the Council of Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches, calling for a unanimous condemnation of the “Russian World” doctrine propagated by the Moscow Patriarch, bringing Patriarch Kirill to canonical responsibility and depriving him of the right to hold the patriarchal throne.
A group of clergymen from different dioceses formed around the appeal to the Eastern Patriarchs, trying to find ways to resolve the pressing issues of the Church’s development. Various online meetings were held, where representatives of the administrative structures of the Kyiv Metropolis, scholars, theologians, bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, etc. were invited to communicate.
Such meetings, as well as the creation of social media groups, laid the foundation for an unofficial union of the clergy, whose media mouthpiece is the “Voice of the Clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” on Facebook.
On May 09, 2022, the “Voice of the Clergy” published an open-for-signature Appeal of the clergy to the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufrii, which condemns the position of Patriarch Kirill (Hundiaev) of the Russian Orthodox Church and justifies the inappropriateness of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s stay in the bosom of the Russian Church. The Appeal proposes to give a canonical, theological, moral and ethical appraisal of the statements and actions of Patriarch Kirill and the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church; to condemn the actions of those UOC clergymen who have tarnished themselves with collaboration and open support for Russian aggression; to initiate a conciliar discussion of changing the canonical status of the UOC; to consider the restoration of Eucharistic communion with those Local Churches with which it was previously suspended.
The failure of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to resolve urgent issues of the Church’s activities forces the clergy to constantly appeal to the faithful, making public their position on certain decisions of the church authorities. On May 18, 2022, the signatories (as the representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy who signed the appeal to the Eastern Patriarchs calling for the condemnation of Patriarch Kirill were unofficially called) issued a Statement of the Clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the decisions of the Holy Synod of the UOC of 12.05.2022, which criticized the relativistic position of the Synod and the practical refusal to consider issues that need to be urgently addressed: restoring unity in Ukrainian and world Orthodoxy and improving the canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Nevertheless, the hierarchy could not openly ignore the challenges of society, and the Holy Synod announced a meeting with the participation of bishops, priests, monks, and laity, which provoked a significant response in religious circles. Many had high expectations for progress on issues of a primarily jurisdictional nature. The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church received appeals and calls from various dioceses regarding issues that should have been considered at the meeting. In general, no one doubted that the upcoming meeting would become a Council of the Church, determining the prospects for the functioning of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in its autocephalous status. On May 27, 2022, the group of signatories also published an Appeal of the Clergy to the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufrii, regarding the meeting involving bishops, priests, monks, and laity. It makes a number of proposals for discussion, including the assessment of comments and actions of the Patriarch, bishops and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church aimed at fomenting ethnic hatred and justifying war crimes, the restoration of Eucharistic communion with other Local Churches, the adoption of a conciliar decision on the secession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church, the creation of a commission to negotiate with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and more.
The resolution on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Convocation of May 27, 2022, as well as its holding, became an important stage in the development of the Church: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced amendments to the Statute of Governance, which declaratively dissociated itself from the Russian Orthodox Church and emphasized its status as independent and self-governing. Along with gratitude, the letter of support to the Primate from the signatories sent the next day also contained hopes for further steps to overcome the schism in Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
On May 30, 2022, the signatory priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church participated in the hearings of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy entitled “Threats to the National Security of Ukraine Related to the Activities of Religious Organizations with Governing Centers in the Territory of the Aggressor State”. The event was attended by Ukrainian parliamentarians, representatives of ministries and agencies, members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, representatives of regional state (military) administrations, regional, city, district, village and town councils, public and religious organizations, academic institutions, specialists in the field of freedom of conscience, and the public. The signatories thus established communication with representatives of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience in order to reach an understanding on religious issues and promote the spiritual unity of Ukraine.
The first meeting of the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine at St. Sophia of Kyiv on July 5, 2022, became an important milestone in the development of the signatory movement. Originally planned as private and non-public, the meeting drew considerable attention in both church and secular circles. The event was attended by Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko, who addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. It was followed by a brief introduction of the participants, where everyone had the opportunity to share their expectations of the forum.
By mutual agreement, the moderation of the clergy meeting was entrusted to Olena Bohdan, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, who offered a kind of outline for discussing issues of mutual interest. The discussion touched on various issues of church life, and specific proposals were made to enable a constructive dialogue between local clergy. As a result of the first meeting, it was decided to publish a joint Declaration of Understanding, which became the foundation for the development of inter-Orthodox dialogue. On behalf of the participants in the dialogue, Archpriest Ihor Kovrovskyi drafted the text of the Declaration.
Though the public reaction was mixed, the meeting became the beginning of a grassroots dialogue and even influenced the decisions of some authorities. For instance, after the meeting of the clergy on July 5, Rivne City Council changed its approach from banning one of the churches to a chance for reconciliation and unification and appealed to the Primates of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as to the laity, calling for unification.
Unfortunately, the bishops largely ignored the event, wasting the opportunity to support the movement toward dialogue. Some of its representatives (in particular, Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav) even published a circular declaring the “canonical invalidity” of the Declaration of Understanding in the territory of a particular diocese. A public letter of appeal in the “Voice of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Clergy” (July 14, 2022) dedicated to the publication of the Circular Notice revealed the absurdity of the said “document”.
Russian occupation of part of Ukrainian territory has exposed yet another problem that concerns both society in general and the Church in particular: collaborationism. On September 26, 2022, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church published an Appeal of the clergy regarding manifestations of collaborationism among clergy in the temporarily occupied territories, calling on the Primate and the Holy Synod to raise their voices in defense of the authority of the Church, to resolutely dissociate themselves from such clergy, condemning their actions, and, after a detailed study of all the circumstances, to apply appropriate forms of canonical bans to them.
December 2022 became an important period for promoting the signatory movement and the dialogue of unity. The “Viche” program offered a series of frank video conversations with the signatories, which discussed various issues: ranging from “Who are the signatories?” to possible solutions to church problems.
The time since the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Convocation was held makes it possible to reassess its decisions. There is a growing discrepancy between the intentions to achieve real independence of the church and the actual activities of the hierarchy. This forced the signatories to more decisive actions. On January 12, 2023, a special video appeal of the clergy and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Holy Synod and the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was published, asking ten questions, the answers to which would prove the real, not declarative, independence of the Church. The appeal (in writing) was also sent directly to each diocesan bishop by mail.
The bishops’ ignoring of the Appeal, despite the considerable response, showed the leadership’s failure to adequately respond to the challenges facing the Church and the lack of any development strategy.
However, the signatory movement has focused on continuing the Dialogue of Unity. On January 20, 2023, the second meeting of the clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was held in order to establish peacekeeping ties between the two Churches. That time it was held online. The meeting brought together more than 30 priests and faithful. The event was moderated by Andrii Smyrnov, director of the St. Kyryl Lukaris Center, and Kostiantyn Sigov, head of the “Dukh i Litera” publishing house. Archimandrite Kyrylo (Hovorun), Archpriest Serhii Prokopchuk, Archpriest Andrii Pinchuk, Archpriest Bohdan Ohulchanskyi, sociologist and coordinator of the “Dialogue in Action” initiative Tetiana Kalenychenko, representative of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Viacheslav Horshkov, and others made their presentations.
On February 16, 2023, the third meeting of the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine took place in St. Sophia of Kyiv. The meeting was organized by the initiative group of clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, as well as the NGOs European Center for Strategic Analysis, St. Kyrylo Lukaris Center, and the Open Orthodox University of St. Sophia the Wise. The meeting started with a prayer service for a just peace, integrity and preservation of Ukraine, unity and communication between the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine. The meeting also included a roundtable discussion entitled “Church, Society, State: Dialogue for Unity and Victory.” The cross-cutting topic of discussion and debate was the development of a dialogue for mutual understanding between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as joint search for ways to ensure future coordinated cooperation between the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine.
Viktor Yelenskyy, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, emphasized the consolidation of society as a necessary precondition for our Victory and the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy as an important component of this consolidation. According to him, the absence of the unity of Orthodoxy in Ukraine could not be justified from the evangelical, canonical, or moral point of view.
Archpriest Ihor Kovrovskyi represented the common position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, analyzing the current relations between the churches and the challenges they face in overcoming the division, including different visions of the way of unification. On behalf of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Archpriest Volodymyr Vakin emphasized that the lack of a goal of uniting churches could only increase inter-church confrontation. Thus, the subject of the dialogue would be solidarity through unification and belonging to the Universal Orthodoxy.
To testify to the joint efforts of the initiative groups of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the participants of the interchurch dialogue in St. Sophia of Kyiv issued an Appeal to the bishops, clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (February 20, 2023).
In practice, the desire of representatives of both Churches is manifested in a joint statement on the church conflict in Ivano-Frankivsk, where a long-standing tension between Orthodox jurisdictions has escalated. On March 28, 2023, a regrettable incident occurred in Ivano-Frankivsk over the affiliation of the Church of the Nativity. The Statement emphatically disapproved of any violent means of conflict resolution or manifestations of violence against any religious communities, regardless of church jurisdiction. The only true Christian way to resolve conflicts or disputes, according to representatives of both churches, is through a format of dialogue in the spirit of Gospel peace and love.
At that time, the signatories were actively discussing the creation of a public organization that would take on a wide range of functions, from educational and missionary to protecting the interests of its members. Proposals have also been made to create a sort of clergy union for the purpose of protecting them from possible arbitrariness of their superiors. Active consultations on this issue were held with lawyers, scholars, religious experts, and clergymen. The work on developing the structure of the future organization, its goals and activities, and its ideological basis has begun. The name of the public organization “Sophia Brotherhood” was agreed upon.
A rather ordinary event that took place on May 10-11, 2023, in Stara Rafalivka village (Polissia and Sarny Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church) gained considerable publicity. The diocese leadership interpreted the private meeting of the clergy, which was not intended to take any actions of general church significance, as anticanonical activities of the signatories, which was reflected in a memo to the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and a statement by the press service of the Sarny-Polissia Diocese. The statement presented distorted facts and drew false conclusions. As a result of this demarche by the Metropolitan of Polissia and Sarny, an active member of the signatory movement, Archpriest Andrii Pinchuk, was accused of violating the canons of the Church and banned from service for an indefinite period.
Due to this, on May 20, 2023, the “Voice of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Clergy” published an Open Letter of the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in response to the statement of officials of the Sarny-Polissia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding the actions of priests of other dioceses in the territory of St. Nicholas Parish in Stara Rafalivka village, Varash district, Rivne region, analyzing in detail the unfounded nature of the accusations against the priests and pointing out the inadmissibility of manipulations and distortions of facts by the diocesan leadership.
At the same time, the signatories organized the acquisition of signatures of the faithful and priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church expressing disagreement with the ban on the service of Archpriest Andrii Pinchuk and sent an appeal to Metropolitan Onufrii. Despite the fact that the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church ignored the request for a fair assessment of the situation and the reversal of the ban, the letter has had a positive impact on easing tensions in church circles and preventing possible pressure on the representatives of the signatory movement by the bishops.
The inertia of actions and outdated decisions of the Holy Synod often led to justified criticism from the signatories. Eventually, on July 23, 2023, the initiative group of signatory clergy published an Open Letter of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church priests to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufrii, analyzing the existing situation and developments after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Convocation of May 27, 2022. The letter particularly stated that there was no real break with the Russian Orthodox Church, since a significant part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church hierarchy, despite the decisions of the Convocation, continued to speak quite unequivocally about unity with the Russian Orthodox Church and the commemoration of the Moscow Patriarch.
In its movement towards autocephaly, the Ukrainian Church needed the support of the local Churches, and therefore a return to prayerful unity with the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Churches that have recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine could be the only guarantee of success in that process. Finally, the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church called for the immediate convening of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Convocation, which would be held to announce the actual secession from the Russian Orthodox Church, of which all Local Churches should be officially notified.
Not only the clergy and faithful supported the published appeal. It was also signed by some eparchial bishops, who joined the demand for the Convocation. Moreover, a significant number of bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church supported the Letter in private conversations, which testified to the urgency of the issue.
Subsequently, on July 26, 2023, 13 priests from different dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church submitted a letter to Metropolitan Onufrii through the Metropolitan’s office on behalf of all the signatories (360 priests). Afterwards, representatives of the clergy went to the Metropolitan’s residence in the Panteleimon Monastery in Feofaniia to meet with the Primate of the Church. Although the meeting failed to occur, the priests took the opportunity to talk to Bishop Mark, the Metropolitan’s personal secretary. The conversation lasted about two hours and addressed a wide range of church life issues, church-society relations, and church-state relations.
However, the call for the convening of the next Convocation of the Church, published in the Letter, was openly opposed by the most odious representatives of the episcopate. The negative tone of their reaction was set by Metropolitan Antonii (Pakanych) of Boryspil and Brovary in his video message of July 28, 2023. Metropolitan Antonii stooped to outright manipulation and falsification, accusing the authors of the Letter of ephemeral actions and intentions. The signatories could not ignore such hypocritical actions of a person vested with the power and spiritual rank of a bishop of the Church and his followers in episcopal authority. Consequently, the initiative group of signatories to the open letter of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufrii immediately issued an official statement regarding the video address of Metropolitan Antonii of Boryspil and Brovary. It revealed the defamatory content of the video message and the Metropolitan’s attempts to replace the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to block the vibrant conciliar life of the Church, turning it into a closed structure that would reject the very possibility of dialogue with both the state authorities and other Local Churches or Christian denominations in Ukraine.
The idea of establishing the Brotherhood within the signatory movement received further development at the seminar “The Role of Public and Religious Organizations in the Social and Psychological Rehabilitation of War Victims” held in Varash on November 23, 2023. Its participants included representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from many regions of Ukraine, public leaders, psychologists, and sociologists. The event was organized by the NGO Center for Spiritual Development “Good Heart” (Varash), St. Kyrylo Lukaris Center (Ostroh) and Humanitarian Dialogue Center (Switzerland). In addition to the issues of cooperation between a psychologist and a priest in the rehabilitation activities with war victims and psychological support for people experiencing the loss and grief of war, a significant part of the event was dedicated to discussing the establishment of “Sophia Brotherhood” and the main directions of its activities. Participants agreed on the main provisions of the future Articles of Association of the public organization, and set the date of the constituent assembly of the Brotherhood.
The constituent forum was preceded by a series of online meetings of the organizing committee, which agreed on the plan for the constituent assembly, made proposals for an agreed list of representatives and invitees, approved the symbols of the Brotherhood, etc. At the same time, an official website of the future organization was launched.
On February 6, 2024, a new public organization, the “Sophia Brotherhood,” was established, marking the end of the signatory movement, taking the best practices and initiatives from it and filling them with new meaning.
Archpriest Ihor Kovrovskyi