What will Belarusian Orthodoxy look like in emigration?
In early April 2023, the Ecumenical Patriarch accepted two Belarusian Orthodox priests Georgy Roy and Alexander Kukhta into his jurisdiction, claiming that the latter “for reasons of conscience” could no longer remain in the Moscow Patriarchate. This is due to the position that the leadership of the Patriarchate of Moscow took towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supporting and justifying it.
This is not the first and not the only case when the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, in connection with the war in Ukraine, turned to the Ecumenical Patriarch for canonical protection. But could this phenomenon become more widespread? Theologian and political scientist Natalya Vasilevich discusses this in a special commentary for the DW column. “Belarus. prospects”. You can discuss her opinion and share your view of the situation here – in the corresponding post on the Telegram channel “DW Belarus”.
precedent in amsterdam
Even at the beginning of the full-scale war, the priests of the Orthodox parish of St. Nicholas in Amsterdam, one of the largest Orthodox communities in the Benelux countries, turned to the Ecumenical Patriarch with a request to accept them into his jurisdiction. On March 12, 2023, such a decision was taken by the Russian Orthodox parish council. the parish was “Russian” – in terms of history and jurisdictional affiliation, but it was actually international. Divine services were held in different languages, people of different ethnicities went there, and a long stay in the Moscow Patriarchate did not interfere at all.
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the Patriarch of Moscow, whose name believers in this parish pronounced as the name of their spiritual leader, was silent at first, and then supported the war. Neither the parishioners nor the priests could stand this and asked the Ecumenical Patriarch for protection.
There are rules in the Orthodox Church – to move to another jurisdiction, a priest must obtain a special document from his former bishop, called “vacation certificate”. In normal circumstances, a bishop cannot accept priests without this document. But the Patriarchate of Constantinople believes that it has this right in exceptional cases – the decision on the application of this right is taken by the Ecumenical Patriarch. He considered that the case was only exceptional. Thus, the precedent was set.
However, there was an important condition here: the priest had to be in the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. For example, in Poland, where the autocephalous Polish Orthodox Church operates, in Russia and Belarus, where the autocephalous Russian Orthodox Church operates, such a transition was impossible.
Conflict in Lithuania
It was also impossible in Lithuania – until February 2023, only the Orthodox diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate functioned there. In the spring and summer of 2022, a conflict broke out within this diocese due to the refusal of two priests to honor Patriarch Kirill. As a result of this conflict, the diocesan leadership treated five priests unfairly and uncanonically, depriving them of their dignity.. In order to restore justice, the priests appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarch as the highest appellate court of the Orthodox Church. The case lasted for many months – the Ecumenical Patriarchate was looking for the best solution to the current situation.
The Lithuanian state and the Catholic Church in Lithuania also joined the case, which morally supported the dissident priests, and also promised that if they were restored in their ranks, they would provide material and political support, ensure the formation of a new structure within the framework of legislation in force and provide them with accommodation and recognition. Furthermore, several Lithuanian national communities turned to Constantinople, demonstrating that the current structure would be requested by believers.
As a result of lengthy diplomatic negotiations, on February 17, 2023, the Ecumenical Patriarchate reinstated five Lithuanian priests in its ranks, effectively laying the foundations for a new church structure in Lithuania, and in March, 2023, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople visited Lithuania and concluded an agreement with the Lithuanian government. The Patriarch also met representatives of the Belarusian community in Lithuania.
It was through this new structure of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Lithuania, with the support of their Lithuanian brothers, that two Belarusian priests were able to approach the patriarch with a request to accept them under his omophore. They followed Amsterdam parish precedent.
Does Belarusian Orthodoxy have a future under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate?
To repeat the step with the transition to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Belarusian priest must be at least outside the territory of Belarus and have the consent of the local church leadership, ready to accept him. And in order to conduct Belarusian divine services at the same time, we also need a choir that sings in Belarusian, translation texts and, of course, parishioners who will need all this, ie. First of all, we are talking about the big cities of the countries where Belarusians emigrate.
In this regard, Vilnius turned out to be a very successful place – on Easter, the service in Belarusian managed to gather 150 participants. This can start an active church life among the Belarusian diaspora.
In addition to Vilnius, Orthodox services in Belarusian are held once a month in Warsaw and, more recently, in Paris. The existence of such parishes helps to organize pastoral, cultural and intellectual activities outside Belarus – to create an infrastructure for the development of Belarusian Orthodoxy and introduce it into the context of the world. Here it is important not to be limited only to Belarusian topics, it is necessary to integrate into common Orthodox life, and Belarusian parishes in different countries should cooperate and support each other: share notes, ideas, help in holding divine services.
Belarusian parishes also operate in the USA and Canada, they are under the jurisdiction of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Belarus, which is currently not recognized within the framework of world Orthodoxy.
Orthodox Belarusians who are abroad have more and more meeting places where they can do what is prohibited and persecuted in Belarus – speak freely.
And for Orthodox Belarusians, who are now under repression, these parishes and their Christian content, freed from totalitarian ideology and propaganda, are becoming one of the fulcrums, an alternative voice that helps to survive in difficult ecclesiastical and political conditions. Hope for an Easter miracle.
Author: Natalya Vasilevich, theologian, political scientist, specialist in constitutional law, group moderator “Christian view”.
The commentary expresses the author’s personal opinion. It may not agree with the opinion of the editors and of Deutsche Welle as a whole.
Source: DW
Anna White is a journalist at 247 News Reel, where she writes on world news and current events. She is known for her insightful analysis and compelling storytelling. Anna’s articles have been widely read and shared, earning her a reputation as a talented and respected journalist. She delivers in-depth and accurate understanding of the world’s most pressing issues.