On the night of August 21, a meeting between the President of Ukraine and the head of Phanar took place. Its key points include the following positions:
Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is a unique example of peaceful coexistence of different faiths, and also thanked the Istanbul hierarch for his “personal” support for the “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity” of the country.
The interlocutors discussed the issues of a “peaceful settlement” in the Donbass. In addition, attention was paid to the situation with “violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, freedom of religion, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”
Zelensky noted that “the religious aspect is one of the factors that the Russian Federation uses against Ukraine as a hybrid weapon.”
During the meeting, the parties discussed further steps regarding closer cooperation between Ukraine and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Our comment:
The conclusions that can be drawn after this event are disappointing for the canonical Church in Ukraine.
First, Zelensky made it clear that he does not see any violations of the rights of the UOC. On the contrary, only incidents related to the functioning of the OCU in Crimea and Donbass are real for him.
Secondly, the president of Ukraine used rhetoric that had previously been heard from the mouths of the authorities, who believed that Moscow viewed the religious factor as an instrument of influence and that the UOC was supposedly an element of such influence.
From such words to the unfolding of a new wave of administrative pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as they say, the distance is only one step.
Indirectly in favor of this thesis is evidenced by the fact that the parties are discussing issues of closer cooperation between Ukraine and Phanar.
Tactically, we can talk about different things – from the transfer of church property to the Greeks to the full support of the OCU authorities. But strategically, this means only one thing, namely, movement towards a further weakening of the positions of the UOC.