Софійське Братство – громадська організація
The material was created within the mini-project “Thinking Out Loud” for the joint project of the Sophienbruderschaft and the German foundation Renovabis, “Modern Ukrainian Orthodoxy:
The phrase of the rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy, His Grace Archbishop Sylvester Stoichev, about the “de facto autocephaly of the UOC”, which he voiced in a podcast in Vinnytsia, stirred almost the entire ortho-segment of the Ukrainian internet. There was a sea of debates, with even more remarks and comments.
Recently, on the air of the television channel Espreso, the well-known religious scholar Andriy Kovalyov raised the issue of the possibility of establishing in Ukraine an Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The media outlet Glavcom recently published an interview with Ukrainian Member of Parliament Yuliia Sirko — one of the active lobbyists for the swift implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations” (better known as the Law on the Prohibition of the UOC), adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in August last year. Ms. Sirko spoke in detail about the difficulties that arise in putting this law into practice, either due to objective circumstances or the human factor.
Amidst ecclesiastical confrontations, loud proclamations, and political maneuvering, one voice seems to get lost the most easily – the voice of the ordinary parishioner.
I come from a rare parish where a three-year catechism course is part of church life. In a sense, our community members could be called “victims” of catechesis.
In the turbulent sea of contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy, where religious currents collide with geopolitical storms, the question “What is faith?” arises with particular urgency.
Part of the “Thoughts Aloud” mini-series created jointly by the “Sofia Brotherhood” and the German foundation Renovabis, within the project “Contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Breaking Myths
#thoughts_aloud: Prayer at the rupture: when God is one, but people are different. Reflections of a UOC priest from a small Ukrainian village
In every religious tradition, there is a distinctive terminology that is completely clear to insiders yet can seem abstract or even contradictory to outsiders.
Part of the “Thoughts Aloud” mini-series created jointly by the “Sofia Brotherhood” and the German foundation Renovabis, within the project “Contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Breaking Myths
My name is Mykola, and I am a Ukrainian of Orthodox confession. I present myself this way because for some time now I no longer identify exclusively with either of Ukraine’s two main jurisdictions – I recognize both and partake in the Sacraments of both.
In a world that changes by the minute, where information flows endlessly and challenges press harder than ever, society expects the Church to offer more than spiritual care—it demands a clear prophetic stance.
In The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry wrote, “We are responsible for those we have tamed.”
Shame. Shame before children, parents, relatives, loved ones, and all reasonable Orthodox believers. This is the emotion nesting in my soul now.
I begin my day with the words: “Lord, let me live through this day without stepping away from Your commandments, without offending my neighbor.”
Modern-day Ukraine is not only a battlefield for territorial integrity — it is also an arena of competing internal spiritual identities. Amid unprecedented challenges, when each day brings new trials, society expects unity, support, and moral leadership from its religious institutions.
In today’s Ukrainian reality, this phrase sounds almost like a challenge. Many people immediately equate the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate with political loyalty to the aggressor state.
Glory to God to all! In this post, I would like to share my perspective on the current issue within our UOC-MP.
Once, I left… I ran away like the last coward—without saying goodbye, without explaining anything.
Can one truly feel ashamed of the Church? Of course not—after all, we know the Church to be holy, and therefore sinless. We can only ever take pride in it and rejoice that we know it and freely belong to it.
“Do I really need autocephaly if all I want is to pray?” This question seems as naïve as saying, “I go to church for God, not the priest,” “the main thing is to be a good person,” or “God is in my heart.”
“For me, a Church that reads not only the Gospel, but also the news.” Encountering the topic, I began to gather arguments, but quickly realized: a Church that reads the Gospel alone already suffices for me.
The past five years have proven extremely difficult for Orthodoxy in Ukraine. These years have revealed the depth of our crisis.
Amid the modern context of war and the struggle for freedom, Ukraine is undergoing not only political and military renewal, but also spiritual rebirth. This is especially true for the Orthodox Church, which increasingly understands its mission to stand with the people and serve both truth and unity.