ABSTRACT
This article assesses the activity of the Ukrainian churches in the turbulence of societal chaos. The article explores how tensions between the churches and political leaders illuminate a power vacuum in Ukraine. A presentation of core elements from major events bringing ecclesial and political leaders together since 2008 begins this exercise, including treatment of the 1020th and 1025th anniversaries of the baptism of Rus?. Selection from diverse source materials will elucidate the struggle for power in Kyiv engaged by politicians and leaders of the Kyivan, Moscow, and Ecumenical Patriarchates, and the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church. This source material includes statements and speeches by politicians, bishops, and synods. I also present the responses of church leaders to the Euromaidan conflict, the regime of President Yanukovych, and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The article concludes by forecasting alternative futures for church leadership in Ukraine, with particular emphasis on the Orthodox churches, that depend on the outcomes of renewed intra-Orthodox dialogues and their responses to the political options presented to Ukraine.
