Archbishop’s defiance threatens Putin’s vision of Russian greatness
The archbishop of Constantinople has granted Ukraine’s wish for a church independent of Moscow
Donald Trump seems strangely in awe of Vladimir Putin. Theresa May’s
attempts to face down the Kremlin after Salisbury have had limited
impact. But has Putin finally met his match in Bartholomew I, the 270th
archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome, ecumenical patriarch, and “first
among equals” of the Eastern Orthodox church?
In the 2,000-year struggle between church and state, Barth-olomew
chalked up a notable victory last week. Defying protests from the
Kremlin and Russia’s clergy, the archbishop granted Ukraine’s wish to
establish an independent church that will no longer answer, as it has
since 1686, to the Moscow patriarchate. The decision was taken at a
synod at Orthodox “headquarters” in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople.
This was about more than ecclesiastical rivalries. Bartholomew faced
intense pressure from Ukrainian believers and their secular brethren to
grant autocephaly (independence). Politicians in Kiev say the Moscow
patriarchate is a vehicle for advancing Russia’s influence, normalising
its 2014 annexation of Crimea and justifying Putin’s support for
separatists in eastern Ukraine.
“The decision of the ecumenical patriarch and synod finally dispelled
the imperial illusions and chauvinistic fantasies of Moscow,” Ukraine’s
pro-western president, Petro Poroshenko, said. “It is a question of our
independence, national security, statehood, a question of world
geopolitics.” He is expected to trumpet the move in his re-election
campaign next year.
Bartholomew’s act of defiance is a serious blow for Putin, who has used
the Moscow branch’s dominance – it oversees about half of the 300
million-strong Orthodox communion – to bolster his regime’s claim to be
the heir to the tsarist imperium. A Kremlin spokesman said Putin was
“extremely concerned”, and warned that Russia would “defend the
interests of Orthodox believers” in Ukraine in case of “illegal
actions”. Analysts were quick to point out that “defending”
Russian-speakers was used to justify the invasion of Crimea.
While religion was broadly discouraged in the Soviet era, Putin has
promoted the Moscow patriarchate as the global capital of Orthodox
Christians and the religious manifestation of Russia’s return to global
greatness. This idea of a “Russian world” with one church and culture,
endorsed by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox church, is
now in jeopardy. Kirill has threatened to break off relations with
Bartholomew if the separation goes ahead. This is the rough equivalent,
in Anglican terms, of a rupture between the archbishoprics of York and
Canterbury. In recent months Russia’s church has likened Ukraine’s move
to the “Great Schism” of 1054, when Christianity split into rival camps
in Rome and Constantinople. It said Bartholomew had exceeded his powers
and his decision could encourage Orthodox branches in other countries to
follow suit.
Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Moscow’s Holy Synod said on state television:
“We the Russian church will not recognise this autocephaly, and we will
have no choice but to sever ties with Constantinople. The patriarch of
Constantinople will no longer have any right to be styled as he is now,
the leader of the 300 million Orthodox population of the planet. At
least half the population will not recognise him at all.” Time will tell
whether Putin and his clerics make good on this public threat. It also
remains to be seen whether rival Ukrainian churches will unite now that
all are free of Moscow’s embrace.
Hilarion claimed the whole affair was the result of an American plot –
an interpretation many in Russia may share. Sporadic fighting in eastern
Ukraine between Russia-backed separatists and government forces is
continuing, with lethal clashes reported in August. More than 10,300
people have died since 2014.
The potential for further violence is real. The latest ceasefire, agreed
in December, has been repeatedly violated. An August meeting between
Putin and German chancellor Angela Merkel failed to produce progress
and, last week, days before the Istanbul synod, huge explosions tore
through an ammunition depot east of Kiev, forcing the evacuation of
12,000 people.
Blaming saboteurs for the incident, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister
linked the explosions to Russian anger over the church schism. God be
praised, there were no casualties – this time.
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