Ukraine: Information subsequent to Response to Information Request SUN8747 on the Greek Catholic (Uniate) and Autocephalous Orthodox Churches
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UKR10139 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ukraine: Information subsequent to Response to Information Request SUN8747 on the Greek Catholic (Uniate) and Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, 1 January 1992, UKR10139, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad2a48.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A professor of Political Science at Carleton University whose speciality is religion in Ukraine provided the following information in an interview on 21 January 1991. The Greek Catholic and Autocephalous Orthodox Churches were prohibited until the end of 1989. Up until the attempted coup in August 1991, there was some involvement by central [federal or USSR] authorities in efforts to escalate the conflict between various Churches in Ukraine, and property claims by the various Churches are still not resolved.
The treatment of members of the Greek Catholic and Autocephalous Churches varies in different parts of Ukraine. In Western Ukraine, there is no longer discrimination against these Churches. In Eastern Ukraine, the situation is somewhat different. Eastern Ukraine is dominated by the Russian Orthodox Church which appears to be operating in league with "old apparatus"- dominated authorities. As of the summer of 1991, the Greek Catholic Church was restricted in its operations in this area. Local authorities were more sympathetic to the Autocephalous Church. There has also been discrimination against members of these Churches in central and southern Ukraine where democratic forces are not as dominant as in other areas.
A representative of the Institute on Religion and Democracy indicated in an interview on 21 January 1991 that most of the problems associated with the Greek Catholic and Autocephalous Churches of the Ukraine are inter-confessional conflicts between the various Ukrainian Churches. There have been cases of property being taken from one Church and given to another; however, there is no organized discrimination.
The Minority Rights Group Report, "Religious Minorities Update", states that "a schism has occurred between the re-named Ukrainian (formerly Russian) Orthodox Church and the reconstituted Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church" (January 1991, 2). A Helsinki Watch report also states that there have been disputes between these two Churches on the use and ownership of church buildings (April 1991, 21).
Please find attached two articles from Radio Free Europe related to this topic. No further information is currently available to the IRBDC on this topic.
Bibliography
Helsinki Watch. April 1991. Glasnost in Jeopardy. New York: Human Rights Watch.
Institute on Religion and Democracy, Washington. 21 January 1991. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Minority Rights Group. January 1991. Soviet Minorities Update Pack. "Religious Minorities in the Soviet Union." London: Longman Group UK Ltd.
Professor of Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa. 21 January 1991. Telephone Interview.
Attachments
Radio Free Europe. 12 July 1991. Vol. 3, No. 28. Report on the USSR. Mihalisko, Kathleen. "Cardinal Lyubachivs'ky Takes Up Permanent Residence in Ukraine."
_____. 11 January 1991. Vol. 3, No. 2. Report on the USSR. Marples, David and Skrypnyk, Ostap. "Patriarch Mstyslav and the Revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church."
