Editorial RES 3/2023: The War in Ukraine and the Religious Communities

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This article is based on the data collected by the Religion on Fire project team, implemented by the Workshop for the Academic Study of Religions (Ukraine). The article explores the impact of the full-scale Russian invasion on the Christian communities living in Ukraine, with a focus on damaged and destroyed religious buildings as well as kidnapped and murdered religious leaders. It also documents the changes in religious communities which have taken place since the beginning of the full-scale war in 2022. This article focuses primarily on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Roman and Greek Catholics, and numerous Protestant denominations.
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The Impact of War on Christian Communities of Ukraine (Based on Materials from the Religion on Fire Project)

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has prompted a critical examination of the church’s role as a social institution during times of war. During such circumstances, national and global religious leaders are typically expected to spearhead peacebuilding initiatives focused on saving civilians, protecting critical infrastructure, and mitigating the potential for widespread destruction and humanitarian crises. In this case, however, the Kremlin has actively used the Russian Orthodox Church as well as an array of religious figures to justify Russian aggression and legitimize actions that amount to genocide against the Ukrainian people. In contrast, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has assumed the role of a moral guide during the war by condemning, with remarkably unity, Russian war crimes and the destructive ideology of Russkiy mir (the Russian world), and instead advocating for a humane approach and proposing peacebuilding initiatives. This paper details the scope and character of the Council’s activities carried out in wartime, providing numerous illustrative examples.
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Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations as a Voice for Justice and Humanity during the Russian Invasion

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The resilience of evangelical communities in Ukraine became evident during the full-scale war started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as they actively engaged in networking and robust volunteer movements to provide aid and support to those affected by the warfare at the grassroots level. This article delves into the responses of evangelical ministers and believers to the traumatic circumstances arising from the war. The author emphasizes that the war experiences conveyed in the testimonies and narratives of evangelicals are deeply intertwined with their religious experiences and are framed to align with fundamental evangelical values. Confronting the challenges associated with life-threatening situations, irreparable losses, and bereavements, evangelicals interpret these experiences through the lens of their theologically grounded worldview.
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Ukrainian Evangelicals and the War

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This article analyses the range of positions among Evangelicals in the context of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The “silence” characterizes evidence of the evangelicals’ strategies that had long been developed in the context of continued marginalization of religious minorities by the Russian authorities, with the state’s determination to create a loyal contingent of religious leaders. Some of the Evangelical leaders who were close to the centres of power were caught in a so-called trap of patriotism and have been compelled to demonstrate their support and solidarity to officials. However, public silence is far from heterogeneous and has many shades and nuances. This article analyses the anti-war statements of Evangelical leaders and shadow communication strategies in different evangelical communities. Particular attention is paid to a “guide” who suggested that Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Russia should take a consistent position, based on theological and political arguments, in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Diversity of Shades of Silence: Russian Evangelicals during the War in Ukraine

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This article examines the processes of transformation in the Ukrainian Muslim community since the outset of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and also delves into shifts in the state’s policy towards Muslims during this time. Since the conflict began in 2014, the state’s stance towards Muslims has steadily improved. The main reason for this is the unequivocal pro-Ukrainian position taken by nearly all Muslim communities in Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion. The paper assesses the impact of Russian military aggression and the occupation of part of Ukraine’s territory on the country’s Muslim communities. It also highlights the ambiguous role of a number of Islamist movements taking an active part in the armed resistance to the invasion
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Ukrainian Muslims in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict

Exploring Religious Transformations Amidst the Russia–Ukraine Conflict: Insights from Theory and Practice

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A muddy torrent of quasi-theological apocrypha, dicta, narratives, and sermons contributes to what the Russians euphemistically call the “special military operation” in Ukraine. It bursts forth from the quills and lips of senior Orthodox hierarchs, including the Russian patriarch himself, as well as smaller figures who together constitute an eco-system within and around the Moscow Patriarchate including priests, lay theologians and activists. This torrent has swollen and become potent enough to rotate the millstones of war.
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Deus ex Machina of the War in Ukraine

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The conservative yet diverse religious landscape of Ukraine has been evolving rapidly since February 2022. These developments include the formal renunciation by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) of its connection with the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the establishing by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) of its monastery in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The number of communities changing their affiliation from UOC MP to OCU has also increased dramatically during this period. The onset of the conflict marked a transformative shift, elevating the role of the church from an internal matter for those directly involved to a significant factor in state policy and security.
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Ukrainian Orthodoxy after the Start of Russia´s Great War against Ukraine

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Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the religious issue in Ukraine has become much more acute. Since then and to the December 2023, about 900 parishes transferred from the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC) to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), according to the official data of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience. But more than 8,000 parishes remain in the UOC despite the Russian aggression. For many citizens, it is unclear what else needs to happen for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to unite with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, or at least not falsely to leave the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
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An Unofficial UOC-OCU Dialogue as a Grassroots Initiative for Reconciliation of the Orthodoxy in Ukraine

Die Kyiver Juden im Jahr 2023: eine Innen- und Außenperspektive

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This report takes a detailed and thorough look at the symposium regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, held at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Vienna on 13-17 February 2023. Its main focus lies on the presenting views and responses of the religious leaders in Ukraine to the ethical dilemmas and challenges caused by Russia’s war of aggression (2014-present), and attempts at reconciliation and peacebuilding. Besides discussing the statements of the leaders of Christian Churches the report also raises an issue of the involvement of representatives of Muslim communities in the war actions, which underlines the interreligious aspect of the symposium.
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Conference Report on Vienna Postgraduate Symposium “War in Ukraine: Ethical, Theological and Historical Reflections”

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The present study aims to analyze the similarities found between two biblical pericopes in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, namely the description of the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist and the call to the apostolate of the first disciples. The two pericopes are analyzed from the perspective of the concept of indwelling, which is found in both texts, the first which speaks about the indwelling/location of the Spirit upon Jesus from the Baptism onwards, and the second which presents the indwelling/location of the first disciples at the place where Jesus lived. Both texts demonstrate a similar structure, consisting of five elements: introduction, ignorance or limited knowledge about Jesus, hints about knowing more, success in reaching this higher stage of knowledge, and testimony about what has been achieved.
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Fortschreibungen des Wohnens. Ein Vergleich zwischen dem Taufzeugnis und der Berufung der ersten Jünger in Joh. 1

Book Reviews

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Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu

 Publishing House and Owner: Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania  The Ecumenical Journal Sibiu (RES) is the academic journal of the Ecumenical Research Centre of Sibiu and serves both national and international ecumenical research, enjoying an international scientific support. The journal is issued three times per year, each issue dealing with a specific topic.  The initiative behind the founding of the RES journal is related to the ecumenical tradition of the city whose name it bears. In 2007, Sibiu was the cultural capital of Europe and home of the Third European Ecumenical Assembly. These events were not accidental, as Transylvania is characterized by a long tradition of tolerance between the various Christian denominations. There is no other region in Europe where Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Catholicism have shared for centuries the same political and geographical area.  RES aims to reflect international and Romanian theological academic work. The studies, articles and reviews published in it fall within the field of theology, but also include a multidisciplinary perspective: philosophy, history, ethics, social sciences etc. . Born in Sibiu, a symbol of multiethnic coexistence, interreligious tolerance and the confluence of several cultures, our journal aims to become a mouthpiece for research and global and local ecumenical projects. The Romanian and international authors are encouraged to express their own cultural and theological tradition in their continual quest for the dialogue with other cultural traditions and denominations. People shall thus understand that true identity develops only in dialogue, ecumenical dialogue playing a role in self-knowledge: when I meet the other, I understand better who I am myself. Removing false images, ecumenism does not lead to confusion and dilution of identity, but on the contrary - in this passage, through dialogue I go back to myself, changed by this encounter, enriched and strengthened in what I am. Thus, joint responsibility of all Christians shall manifest and strengthen regardless of the area they live in. Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 