Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2021-9-103

VB. – № 9, 2021. – P. 213-221

Summary

The extremely fruitful process of formation of the national-cultural and religious identity of Ukrainians, the peak of which was the activity of the Ukrainian public in the implementation of the ideas of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, took place on June 5-6, 1927 in Lutsk during the congress of Ukrainian patriotic intelligency and clergy. This event gave a powerful impetus to the consolidation of Ukrainians in Western Ukraine and the departure from the russification and unification of the Orthodox Church and its acquisition of national and religious identity. Why not to use this experience in the modern process of formation of the local autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine? The answer to this question becomes clear and relevant for today, taking into account such historical features. In Western Ukraine under the rule of Poland in the pre-war period (1919–1939 pp.) the Orthodox Church was influenced by various factors – polish policy, russian tradition and ukrainian patriotism All three named sides of influence represented the character of the future Orthodox Church differently. The concept of the episcopate of the Orthodox Church was that the Church should be traditionally russian in nature, and its structure should be synodal-consistory. The concept of Polish state policy towards the Orthodox Church gave the Polish character of its autocephalous status, obtained in 1924 and completely subordinated to the Polish government, which in a religious context tried to realize its political goals towards national minorities – Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian. Ukrainian factors substantiated and tried to implement the concept of the Church, which should be ukrainian in its national character, its structure – the cathedral, which guarantees the participation of the laity in its management. One of the ideologues and leaders of this concept, Arsen Richynski, was a supporter of this principled model of the Orthodox Church’s activity in Poland.

Key words: Orthodox Church, national-cultural, religious identity, Lutsk Church Congress, Arsen Richynsky.

References:

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