hi heorhij,
can i ask u (ideally without derailing the thread entirely and starting major race riots) what it means in your writing next the picture about the ukranian orthodox church not being canonical? is it not in communion with other churches?
coz i have a friend who badly needs orthodoxy (she doesn't know it yet) and the nearest church to her is ukranian. i know nothing about it, just found it on the web. what should i advise her (in the event of her being interested)?
Dear Mabsoota,
Right now, there are three major Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine. The first one is called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC); it is, however, generally known as the "UOC-MP," i.e. the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate. It's scizophrenic, in a way, because in it's Statute, it calls itself "autonomous," and yet other paragraphs of the same statute say that it communicates with other Orthodox jurisdictions through the Patriarch of Moscow, and, furthermore, it is a part of the Russian (Rus. "Русская") Orthodox Church. (In the Russian language, there exists a subtle distinction between "Русская" - originating from the ancient Rus, and Российская - i.e. belonging to the present-day state called the Russian Federation; but both adjectives are translated into English, as well as into other languages, as "Russian.") Except for a few clerics (whom I personally know and like and respect), it is rabidly anti-Western, Russian chauvinist, cave anti-American, idiotic and evil organization.
The other two are the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Both are normal, open-minded, pro-Western and anti-Russian organizations; but, unfortunately, because of the overwhelming influence and power of the Patriarch of Moscow over the Orthodox world, they both remain "rogue," un-recognized jurisdictions.
How things will develop in Orthodoxy in Ukraine, God only knows.