Negotiating the right for external relations: the case of Orthodox community in Ukraine

Abstract

The article explores the attempts, state, and challenges of developing external relations and representation in the international arena for Ukrainian Orthodox churches since the gaining of Ukraine’s independence in 1991. Despite the fact that Ukraine has the second largest Orthodox community in the world, Ukrainian churches are either excluded from international interreligious platforms or represented through foreign religious centres, primarily Russian. This situation developed during the Soviet era and was dominant until recently. To some extent, the request for an international presence and agency is correlated with changes in the Ukrainian state and escalated after the beginning of Russian military aggression. The culmination of that process became the granting of autocephaly for the Orthodox community in Ukraine, potentially opening new possibilities for international actorness. The research relies on current and historical documents that regulate(-ed) religious life in Ukraine, documents of international and religious organisations, statements of religious leaders and interfaith organisations, and surveys on religious freedom or religion in Ukraine.