UKRAINE MARKS CHURCH ANNIVERSARY, AIMS TO TACKLE KREMLIN INFLUENCE
from: Reuters

(28 Jul.) Poroshenko wants to establish a so-called national ‘autocephalous’ church in the majority-Orthodox country, which he says would be vital to tackling meddling by Moscow. Religious divisions came to the fore in Ukraine after the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia and conflict between Ukrainian and Moscow-backed separatist forces in the east.

Two competing strands of the church, known as the Moscow Patriarchate and the Kiev Patriarchate, vie for influence in the eastern European country. The Moscow Patriarchate considers its rival illegitimate, and opposes Poroshenko’s proposal. The Kiev branch, which broke away in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union, supports it.

Critics of the Moscow Patriarchate say it is under the thumb of the Russian Orthodox Church. They see it as a fifth column for the Kremlin, used to harbor separatist fighters, store weapons and justify Russian expansionism. The Moscow Patriarchate rejects such accusations. It says it is autonomous from Russia.

During the day Poroshenko addressed priests, officials, lawmakers and members of the public on a hill by the statue of Volodymyr the Great, the prince whose baptism led to the christianization of the region in 988. "Autocephaly is an issue of our independence. This is an issue of our national security. This is an issue of the entire world geopolitics," Poroshenko said. "Dear friends, the time of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has definitely come." [read more...]

UZBEKISTAN: MORE LEGAL PERSONALITY RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED
by Mushfig Bayram: Forum 18 News Service

(18 Jul.) Uzbekistan has added two new restrictive requirements for seeking legal status, even though this is against the country's binding international human rights obligations. Religious communities seeking registration must also now provide:

- a notarised copy of Uzbekistan's official recognition of any official foreign or Uzbek religious education that has been completed by the head of a religious community;

- and a notarised copy of Uzbekistan's official recognition of any official foreign or Uzbek religious education that has been completed by the head of a religious educational institution run by the community.

There is no indication of what type of religious education, whether formal or informal, is covered by this second new registration requirement, and as there is no formal official centre to recognise foreign religious education fulfilling this new restriction is at present impossible. Officials have refused to explain why the government instead of abolishing restrictions has increased them. [read more...]

TOMOS FROM THE PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE POSTPONED AT LEAST TILL END OF AUGUST
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine

(18 Jul.) The Synod of Constantinople will not make a decision regarding the Tomos on the recognition of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by July 28, the 1,030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine, as was expected previously. Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has not finished informing other autocephalous Churches in this regard, which shifts the decision till at least end of August.

Despite the deferral, the Ecumenical Patriarch’s position on the Ukrainian Church issue remains reportedly unaltered. A diplomat familiar with the matter stressed that the delay is connected with the length of the autocephaly bestowal procedure that usually takes time.

Last week, the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople did not look into the Tomos issue. Now this question is postponed -- at least -- till the next Synod session, scheduled for end of August.

Though the exact date of the Tomos decision had been unknown, Ukraine’s officials -- both lay people and clergy -- expected it to happen closer to the 1,030th anniversary of the Baptism. Several months back, this hope was expressed by Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and Filaret, Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate. [read more...]

PUTIN SEES CHRISTIANIZATION OF KIEVAN RUS AS START OF RUSSIA'S STATEHOOD
from: Interfax-Religion

(28 Jul.) Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the Christianization of Kievan Rus as the starting point of the establishment of Russia's statehood. "The Christianization is the starting point of the establishment and development of Russia's statehood, the true spiritual birth of our ancestors, the determination of their identity and self-awareness, the prosperity of the national culture and education, and the development of multifaceted ties with other countries," Putin said at a ceremony marking the 1030th anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus in Moscow on Saturday.

"The Christianization of Rus is a key and momentous stage in our history, an event of civilizational scope and transforming spiritual power. It predetermined the further centuries-long way of Russia and had an effect on the entire global development. Our ancestors displayed wisdom and great foresight by opening an era to which all of us belong now," he said.

Putin particularly commented on Prince Vladimir's personality. "He made this decisive choice, became a guide of faith, and saw its moral support, beauty, and basis for renewing life, for strengthening the unity and identity of the peoples inhabiting Ancient Rus," Putin said. He called Prince Vladimir "a warrior who went through cruel fights and trials and who became a creator, enlightener, and founder," under whose guidance churches, monasteries, cities, schools, and libraries were built. [read more...]

CONSTANTINOPLE AHEAD OF RUSSIA IN CHURCH DIPLOMACY GAME
from: Unian

(24 Jul.) The anticipation of Constantinople possibly granting Ukraine church a tomos on autocephaly thus ensuring independence of Russia by July 28, the 1030th anniversary of Baptism of Kyivan Rus (Ukraine), earlier hinted at by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, led to full mobilization of pro-Moscow forces opposing the move.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the first persons of other Local Orthodox Churches have ignored the invitation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) to celebrate the 1030th anniversary of Baptism of Rus-Ukraine. However, he accepted the invitation by the president of Ukraine, and the delegation from the Mother Church does plan to arrive to attend the celebrations. Other Local Orthodox Churches are sending at the Moscow Patriarchate's invitation their lowest-possible level delegations simply to stick to long-established "church diplomatic protocol," according to a Ukraine-based religious expert Oleksandr Sahan, LB.ua reports.

Pro-Russian Ukrainian MP Vadym Novinsky seems to perceive almost literally the calls from the Moscow Metropolity "to fight autocephaly to blood." Thousands of believers will be brought to Kyiv not only from across Ukraine, but also from Russia, all under the pretext of their "pilgrimage" to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. However, the fact that the Tomos is not yet being granted by the said date has breached Moscow's plans, the expert believes, as "it turns out that there is nothing to fight about."

The Patriarchate of Constantinople put the issue on a reasonable pause: on the one hand, it would allow them seeing the actual level of public countering of Tomos within Ukraine. On the other hand, Constantinople will see how other local Orthodox churches will respond to the position of the Ecumenical Patriarch on the Ukrainian issue. The indicators are very clear: the number of participants in religious processions and possible provocations, as well as the number and level of representation of the delegations of the Orthodox Churches that will come to Kyiv on the invitation of the UOC MP. [read more...]

ON CENTENARY, RUSSIAN STATE AND ORTHODOX CHURCH AT ODDS OVER ROMANOVS
from: The Moscow Times

(18 Jul.) Inside a monastery in central Moscow on Tuesday morning, a dozen men clad in all black stood next to banners depicting Jesus and Tsar Nicholas II. Although the sun had not yet reached its peak, the men, members of the Union of Orthodox-Banner Bearers, had already begun to sweat. "We wear black so as not to distract from these saintly figures," explained Leonid Simonovich-Nikschich, the group’s founder and leader, as he motioned to the banners. "The focus is meant to be on them, not us."

The group of Russian Orthodox nationalists had congregated to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the murders of the tsar, his wife and their five children. Made saints by the Church in 2000, the Romanov family — part of a dynasty that ruled Russia for 300 years — has since become a fulcral symbol of traditional Orthodox values. Some, like the Orthodox nationalists, go a step further. To the so-called "tsar worshippers," Nicholas II was not just a martyr, but a Jesus-like figure. "Like Christ," as Simonovich-Nikschich put it, "he suffered for the Russian people."

Along with Orthodox priests, some 100 worshippers and a smattering of representatives of other nationalist organizations, the gathering circled a small church in the center of the Andronikov Monastery, singing hymns and stopping occasionally for the priests to bless them with holy water. "One hundred years after their deaths, there is a new Russian Orthodox civilization beginning," Sergei Moiseyev, one among the group said to the crowd. "And in Moscow, a multicultural city, we are still small, but our goal is to eventually grow out of the boundaries of this monastery." [read more...]