The Orthodox Church of Ukraine: Ecclesiological, Ecumenical, and Geopolitical Dimensions

St. Andrew's Church among hillside buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine

October 25, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. EDT
Location: Berkley Center Third Floor Conference Room Map

In October 2018 the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople re-established the Metropolitanate of Kyiv under his jurisdiction, granting the tomos of autocephaly (independence) to the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The new church was formed through the union of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), and some sectors of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). Only recently have geopolitical and theological factors aligned to make such a move possible, bringing approximately 20 million Ukrainian Orthodox Christian faithful in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch.

This day-long conference examined the ecclesiological implications of the formation of the new church for Orthodox Christianity; the impact on ecumenical relations and the dynamics of religious pluralism and civil society in Ukraine; and the geopolitical dimensions of relations between Moscow, Constantinople, Rome, and the wider world.

Schedule

Friday, October 25, 2019

9:00-9:10 | Welcome and Introduction
Shaun Casey, Georgetown University

9:10-10:30 | Ecclesiological and Theological Dimensions
Jaroslaw Buciora, St. Volodymyr ​Cathedral
George Demacopoulos, Fordham University
Nicholas Denysenko, Valparaiso University
José Casanova, Georgetown University (moderator)

10:30-11:00 | Break

11:00-12:30 | Ecumenical and Sociological Dimensions: Religious Pluralism, Ecumenical Dialogue, and Democratic Civil Society in Ukraine
José Casanova, Georgetown University
Oksana Kulakovska, Ukrainian Catholic University
Viktoriya Sereda, Ukrainian Catholic University
Volodymyr Turchynovskyy, Ukrainian Catholic University
Ivan Horodyskyy, Ukrainian Catholic University (moderator)

12:30-1:15 | Lunch

1:15-2:45 | Geopolitical Dimensions: Ukrainian Orthodoxy, Moscow Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the Wider World
Shaun Casey, Georgetown University
Ostap Kryvdyk, Ukrainian Catholic University
Oleksandr Oborskyi, Embassy of Ukraine
Frank Sysyn, University of Alberta
Oleh Turiy, Ukrainian Catholic University (moderator)

related event | Catholic Social Thought and Democratic Civil Society in Ukraine

related | Learn more about Berkley Center engagement on Ukraine

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Participants

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