The Russian-Ukrainian Orthodox Church schism continues to anger Moscow

The Russian-Ukrainian Orthodox Church schism¹ continues to anger Moscow

Transcript²

The Orthodox Church has a long history in Ukraine, one that is tied to the country's national identity. Some parishes identify solely³ with Ukraine, while others identify with Russia.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

I'm A Martinez in Kyiv, where, just walking around the city, you'll notice the many places of worship - towering structures next to grand squares all over the place. They are ornate historical places with gilded⁴ domes⁵ and pastel-painted facades⁶, and many are also symbols of Ukraine's independence from Russia. St. Michael's is one of them. It's one of the most opulent Orthodox churches in the city. And yesterday, I stood outside this church and asked visitors what it means to them.

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MARTINEZ: Lydia's (ph) from the war-torn east part of Ukraine now controlled by Russian-backed separatists. While she lives in France at the moment, she spent 15 years in Kyiv and comes back often with her children. Her son was baptized at St. Michael's.

LYDIA: And I say that I have two motherlands, the east of Ukraine, Horlivka, and Kyiv. And I can't separate this part of Ukraine I love. For me, it is two motherlands.

MARTINEZ: For a long time, Russia dictated⁷ how the Orthodox Church operated in Ukraine, in a lot of ways mirroring the country's struggle for independence from the same oppressor. Another visitor, a businessman called Michael (ph), says he comes to church a few times a week and that, for him, it's important that St. Michael's no longer identifies with the Russian Orthodox Church.

MICHAEL: This church is a part of Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and I believe that all churches in Ukraine will be a part of Ukrainian Church, not Russian Church. And for me, it's identity of Ukraine. It's unite people in Ukraine.

MARTINEZ: When Russia invaded parts of Ukraine's East in 2014, it prompted Ukrainians to publicly cut cultural ties from its former imperial ruler and reinforce a sense of national identity. One of the most acrimonious⁸ splits happened in religion. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is now independent of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church. NPR's Joanna Kakissis joins me now to discuss how this split continues to anger Moscow today. Now, Joanna, for years, Ukrainians were part of the Russian Orthodox Church. What did that mean for Ukrainians?

JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE⁹: So for years, the Russian Orthodox Church, which is today still a very powerful church, claimed Ukraine as part of its territory. And that means that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reported to the Russian church. Many clergy¹⁰ in the Ukrainian church were also loyal to Moscow as a result. And that began to change as Ukraine began to grow closer to the West and wanted to break free of Russian influence.

MARTINEZ: So how did the pro-European revolution in 2014 affect the Ukrainian Orthodox Church?

KAKISSIS: So the church responded by having its own revolution. In 2014, a bunch of parishes around the country rebelled. Parishioners were angry that some of their church leaders did not condemn¹¹ Vladimir Putin for invading parts of Eastern Ukraine, so they started switching over to the Kyiv Patriarchate. This used to be a domestically run church that supported Ukraine's tilt¹² to the West. And Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church hated this. They strongly criticized the creation of this new independent church.

I spoke¹³ to Professor Tymofii Brik. He studies religious life in Ukraine. He told me that the Ukrainian Church's assertion of independence goes against this idea that Putin promotes, that Ukraine and Russia are essentially¹⁴ the same nation.

TYMOFII BRIK: I think Putin believes that by rejecting the Russian Orthodoxy, Ukraine rejects his narrative¹⁵ of unity¹⁶ and happy family with Russia. And, of course, he doesn't like it.

KAKISSIS: So the Ukrainians won this battle. In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine became official. The head of the Orthodox Christian¹⁷ world, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, who is based in Istanbul - he granted what's called autocephaly. And autocephaly's a Greek word. It essentially means that the church is self-governed.

MARTINEZ: So now are all the Orthodox parishes part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine?

KAKISSIS: So, no, actually. Professor Brik told me that about 7,000 parishes around Ukraine are in this autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine. But another 12,000 - approximately 12,000 - are in another church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to make it confusing. But for shorthand, people here call it the Moscow Church. This church has retained a relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. There's even been an attempt to force this church, which has ties to Moscow, to change its name to the Russian Orthodox Church, just to make it clear. But courts have ruled against this. Parishes, though, are slowly transferring to the independent Ukrainian Church. Professor Brik told me that about 500 had switched sides from 2018 to 2019. And parishes are still joining the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine today.

MARTINEZ: So why is the Orthodox Church important to Ukrainians?

KAKISSIS: So under the Soviet¹⁸ Union, the church that exists - that wasn't destroyed by the Kremlin, but the Kremlin did severely¹⁹ control and regulate it. Professor Brik, the religion expert, he said that though Ukrainians aren't particularly religious, they all go to church on Easter and Christmas. They baptize their kids because, you know, the church is just part of their culture.

BRIK: Ukraine is very similar to other Eastern European and post-communist countries in this respect. In our societies, religion is very much connected to the sense of national identity. So it is very important to think about yourself as an Orthodox if you want to say that you are truly Ukrainian.

KAKISSIS: He says about 60% of Ukrainians are part of this church, identify as Orthodox Christians²⁰.

MARTINEZ: So, Joanna, it sounds like after the Soviet Union collapsed²¹, there was a sense to maybe reclaim²² an independent sense of religion.

KAKISSIS: Yeah, that's right, A. Professor Brik told me, you know, obviously you don't have to be Orthodox to be truly Ukrainian. There are Catholics and Jews here and atheists, as well. But this split in the Orthodox church underscores that more and more Ukrainians - you know, they don't want to be part of the Russian world. They don't want to attend a church where the Moscow patriarch, who supports the war, is praised and where priests refuse to eulogize fallen Ukrainian soldiers. They see the Russian church as just another means of control by the Kremlin.

MARTINEZ: That's NPR's Joanna Kakissis with me in front of St. Michael's golden-domed monastery²³. Joanna, thanks for coming out with me.

KAKISSIS: You're welcome, A. It's beautiful here, and it was a pleasure.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Chanting in non-English language).

1 schism   

n.分派，派系，分裂

参考例句：

• The church seems to be on the brink of schism.教会似乎处于分裂的边缘。
• While some predict schism,others predict a good old fashioned compromise.在有些人预测分裂的同时，另一些人预测了有益的老式妥协。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

4 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

5 domes   

n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场

参考例句：

• The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
• Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网

6 facades   

n.（房屋的）正面( facade的名词复数 )；假象，外观

参考例句：

• Terraces of asphalt are placed by the building's south and west facades. 沥青露台位于建筑的南面和西面。 来自互联网
• Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. 保存历史建筑或是保持它们普通的正面增长。 来自互联网

7 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 acrimonious   

adj.严厉的，辛辣的，刻毒的

参考例句：

• He had an acrimonious quarrel with his girlfriend yesterday.昨天他跟他的女朋友激烈争吵了一番。
• His parents went through an acrimonious divorce.他的父母在激烈吵吵闹闹中离了婚。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

11 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

12 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

16 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

17 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

18 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

19 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

20 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

21 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

22 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

23 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。