Canonic uncertainty of Ukrainian orthodoxy in the first third of the xx century

Abstract

The article analyzes the concepts of autocephalous formation of national churches and the experience of their formation in the late XIX ‒ early XX century.The article reveals the significance of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and democratic revolutions in Europe on the formation of newly independent states and their national churches, especially in the Balkans.It was established that one of the main problems of the newly formed states was the proclamation of church autocephaly.It ensures the strengthening of national unity and the consolidation of society in the spiritual plane.It is proved that the long domination of the ancient patriarchates in the Ecumenical Church ended with the proclamation of national churches.The proclaimed national Local Churches sought equality and absolute independence, both religious and political.The study found that over the past century, two diametrical concepts of understanding the structure of universal Orthodoxy have been formed.In particular, Fanar insisted and insists on his own primacy and special status in the world church, and the reason for this: the canons of the Ecumenical Councils and the age-old tradition of Christianity of the Eastern rite.Instead, the ROC declares the existence of Local Churches in the general system of Orthodoxy as a certain confederation of independent and fully autonomous entities.It is concluded that an in-depth consideration of the process of legal regulation of the status and canonical uncertainty of Orthodox churches in European countries in the 20s and 30s of the XX century will be important to identify the specifics of religious life of Ukrainian society during the XX - early XXI centuries.The Ukrainian nation has come a long way in the struggle for the recognition of its own church: in the first half of the XX century there were repeated attempts to proclaim the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church of various formations.However, the "state", "revolutionary" and "canonical" concepts were alternately embodied only for a short period of time.In the absence of statehood, Ukraine has not been able to realize any of the historical opportunities for the proclamation of autocephaly in the period under study.The universal recognition of the Ukrainian Church was postponed for a hundred years.At the same time, pro-Ukrainian hierarchs of the post-revolutionary period purposefully and systematically used the experience of proclaiming Balkan autocephaly