Ukraine Perplexing

[Ontheway]

Many images from the Ukrainian revolution focus on priests who are trying to subdue the passions and make peace. The articles speak of Orthodox, Eastern rite and other faiths. My question has to do with Christian denominations in that country. How many denominations are there? What are the majority religions and how are they connected to the political and ethnic struggle there?

 

[Vico]

Many images from the Ukrainian revolution focus on priests who are trying to subdue the passions and make peace. The articles speak of Orthodox, Eastern rite and other faiths. My question has to do with Christian denominations in that country. How many denominations are there? What are the majority religions and how are they connected to the political and ethnic struggle there?

The largest Christian groups there is are Ukrainian Orthodox Church (11952 communities), Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate (4371 communities), Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (3646 communities), Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1190 parishes), Latin Catholic Church (909 parishes), Russian Orthodox Old Rite (57 communities), Ukrainian Baptist (2705 communities), Ukrainian Pentecostals (1595), and many others including Armenian and Romanian.

risu.org.ua/en/index/reference

 

[Scythian]

Many images from the Ukrainian revolution focus on priests who are trying to subdue the passions and make peace. The articles speak of Orthodox, Eastern rite and other faiths. My question has to do with Christian denominations in that country. How many denominations are there? What are the majority religions and how are they connected to the political and ethnic struggle there?

there are two major religions, Eastern Orthodox and Catholic, with small minority belonging to Islam, Judaism or protestant sects. Majority of religious Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox, of which there are three factions:
*
Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate*: affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. It was simply called the “Russian Orthodox Church” before the collapse of the USSR and was pretty much the only legal Church in Ukraine during both communism and tsarist times. Many, though not all, of its members are Russophone and, unsurprisingly, tends to be pro-Moscow. Some (both Ukrainian and Russian speaking) however are pro-protest.

Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate: broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate after the fall of the USSR to establish an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church with their patriarch in Kiev, Ukrainian speaking and nationalist, thus unsurprisingly pro-protest
*
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church*: the smallest of the three, it was the first effort to establish a modern independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, they were largely liquidated by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s and 1930s (its Polish remnants were finished off with the Greek Catholics by Stalin in the 1940s) but survived in Ukrainian communities abroad in the USA and Canada. After the collapse of the USSR it was re-established in Ukraine. Recently they petitioned the Patriarch of Constantinople to be brought into their fold but have yet to receive an answer. The are pro-protesters.

Among the Catholics there is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (and the separate Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Mukacheve) which is pro-protest. Small minority of Ukrainians, mostly of Polish decent, belong to the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine. The protestants are a minority and are also pro-protest, Oleksandr Turchynov (currently the acting president) is baptist.

The Muslims are centered among the Tatars in Crimea who are in the minority compared to the Russophones, I’m not sure where they stand politically, but considering their treatment in the USSR I doubt many are pro-Moscow.

So in summery, only the Ukrainian Orthodox-Moscow Patriarch are the only ones who are pro-moscow, but even in their ranks you will find people who are pro-protest.

 

[Peter_J]

Many images from the Ukrainian revolution focus on priests who are trying to subdue the passions and make peace. The articles speak of Orthodox, Eastern rite and other faiths. My question has to do with Christian denominations in that country. How many denominations are there? What are the majority religions and how are they connected to the political and ethnic struggle there?

Hi Ontheway. I’m not sure what you mean by “Orthodox, Eastern rite and other faiths.” As far as I know, all Orthodox in Ukraine are “Eastern Rite” (Western Rite Orthodoxy basically only exists in Western countries). There are also Eastern (Rite) Catholics there.

 

[Miserissima]

Hi Ontheway. I’m not sure what you mean by “Orthodox, Eastern rite and other faiths.” As far as I know, all Orthodox in Ukraine are “Eastern Rite” (Western Rite Orthodoxy basically only exists in Western countries). There are also Eastern (Rite) Catholics there.

As in post #2:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=11792459&postcount=2

The largest Christian groups there is are Ukrainian Orthodox Church (11952 communities), Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate (4371 communities),
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (3646 communities),
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1190 parishes),
Latin Catholic Church (909 parishes), Russian Orthodox Old Rite (57 communities), Ukrainian Baptist (2705 communities), Ukrainian Pentecostals (1595), and many others including Armenian and Romanian.

risu.org.ua/en/index/reference

 

[Peter_J]

As in post #2:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=11792459&postcount=2

The largest Christian groups there is are Ukrainian Orthodox Church (11952 communities), Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate (4371 communities),
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (3646 communities),
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1190 parishes),
Latin Catholic Church (909 parishes), Russian Orthodox Old Rite (57 communities), Ukrainian Baptist (2705 communities), Ukrainian Pentecostals (1595), and many others including Armenian and Romanian.

risu.org.ua/en/index/reference

Hi Miserissima. You realize that information was already posted on this same thread? Maybe I’m nitpicking, but this seems redundant. I’m also not sure why you addressed this to me … is there some kind of hint intended (perhaps concerning my intelligence )?

 

[Miserissima]

Hi Miserissima. You realize that information was already posted on this same thread? Maybe I’m nitpicking, but this seems redundant. I’m also not sure why you addressed this to me … is there some kind of hint intended (perhaps concerning my intelligence )?

Ack!!! The actual question didn’t get typed correctly. Sometimes, the cursor in my phone browser will jump around.

My question was, “Which rite do the ‘Latin Catholic Church (909 parishes)’ practice?”

D’oh! Where is the facepalm smiley?

 

[Aramis]

Ack!!! The actual question didn’t get typed correctly. Sometimes, the cursor in my phone browser will jump around.

My question was, “Which rite do the ‘Latin Catholic Church (909 parishes)’ practice?”

D’oh! Where is the facepalm smiley?

Roman Rite. The Latin Catholic Church is a synonym for the Roman Catholic Church. From what I’ve been told by several Ukrainians, the Latins are highly Polonized. (There are certain differences in the church architechture and paraliturgical life in the Polish Roman praxis.)

 

[Peter_J]

Ack!!! The actual question didn’t get typed correctly. Sometimes, the cursor in my phone browser will jump around.

My question was, “Which rite do the ‘Latin Catholic Church (909 parishes)’ practice?”

D’oh! Where is the facepalm smiley?

Roman Rite.

Like Aramis said. (The other Western rites are greatly restricted … e.g. The Ambrosian Rite is restricted to the Milan area.)

 

[Aramis]

Like Aramis said. (The other Western rites are greatly restricted … e.g. The Ambrosian Rite is restricted to the Milan area.)

The second most frequenly celebrated Western Rite at present would be a toss up between the geographically restricted Ambrosian Rite and the far less restricted Dominican Rite…
Neither of which have vernacular editions. (Tho’ the Dominicans have an approved use of the Roman Rite with the Dominican Rite’s propers and calendar.)

Most of the Romans there will be using the Ordinary Form; the Extraordinary Form is also used a bit (according to a conversation with Fr. Andrew Szymanski).

Note that there are also some Ukrainian Old Catholics who use older Trent-derived liturgies, typically in the vernacular. They are schismatic, but valid, and part of the Utrecht Union.