Response given during the panel discussion at the Round Table “Contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Debunking Myths for the Reconciliation of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine,” held on April 29, 2025, in Kyiv as part of the enlightening-analytical project “Contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Debunking Myths for the Reconciliation of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and the Consolidation of Ukrainian Society,” organized by the Sophia Brotherhood with support from the Renovabis Foundation.
Serhii Bortnyk (UOC): “Is a federative church possible?”
I would like to pose a question to Father Volodymyr Vakin. I appreciated his point that we must not create an “ROC 2.0.” That is something which unites our confessions or jurisdictions. Before turning to theology, I studied international relations. And when Father Volodymyr said that the Orthodox Church, in theory, sometimes resembles a confederation, it reminded me of that concept. On the one hand, it’s problematic to forcibly unite jurisdictions. On the other, it’s also problematic when the Church functions like a confederation — this was noted, for example, by His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew.
And I recalled something simple: in political science, there are not just two models but three — a unitary state, a confederation, and in between them, a federation. Perhaps this federative model offers a path — at least terminologically — toward how we might draw closer and coexist, instead of being pushed into one of two extremes.
Protopriest Volodymyr Vakin: “The expectations of us are excessively high — but if we make a mistake, we will not be forgiven.”
There’s also monarchy! (smiles) I must admit, it’s a very difficult question to answer, because we are working from the foundations of canon law and ecclesiastical governance established in the 8th century. And since the 8th century, we’ve had no new official documents — only certain precedents. That’s why today feels like a time of new creation, but grounded in foundational principles. And everyone is looking to Ukraine: “Perhaps you will give birth to something — and we will see whether it is good or bad.” That’s the position we find ourselves in. I feel this particularly strongly when I travel abroad and speak with others. The expectations of us are excessively high — but if we make a mistake, we will not be forgiven.