Ukrainian State and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Times of Russian Aggression: Religious Freedom, National Security, and the Rule of Law Contexts
In this lecture, Dmytro Vovk will analyze the legal measures implemented by the Ukrainian state to restrict and/or ban the operation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church historically and ecclesiastically connected with the Moscow Patriarchate. He’ll explain how they have affected or, as with legislation that is still in progress, can affect religion-state relations and religious freedom of UOC communities and beyond. He will argue that, while this conflict is often framed as a “religious freedom versus national security” case, it should also be considered as a part of a broader decolonization and de-Russification agenda, which is endorsed by Ukrainian society and pushed forward by the Ukrainian state, but, in the case of religion, provoke human rights and rule of law concerns and require a more well-balanced approach.