Orthodoxy in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the only church structure and one of several public institutions in Ukraine that has strong positions. Moreover, the church in Ukraine does everything possible to move away from the political and ideological context. To a large extent, it is thanks to this that the Church in Ukraine gains the trust of society.
However, currently, the situation with faith is not so optimistic. French researcher Jean-Paul William writes that the state of religion in the modern world can be described by the phrase “believe, but do not belong”, and the phrase “belong, but do not believe”. Contemporary consciousness is increasingly trending towards faith, deprived of ecclesial character. On the other hand, the formal affiliation to one or another Christian denomination does not necessarily mean the presence in the individual of the living Christian faith.
In general, Ukraine is considered one of the largest Orthodox centers in the world. And this is due to the fact that among Ukrainians there is the statement that in order to be “true” Ukrainian, the person must be Orthodox.
Interesting is the comparison of Orthodox and Catholics among the population of Ukraine. Orthodox are more negative than Catholics, in questions of homosexuality and same-sex marriages. At the same time, 42% of Orthodox Christians and only a quarter of Catholics share the idea of a patriarchal family and subjugation to the husband. Interestingly, in Ukraine, 92% of Catholics are sympathetic to Orthodox Christians. However, among Orthodox believers, a great number – 44% are against Catholics.
Although Ukraine is considered an Orthodox country, it is established that Catholics are more religious than Orthodox there. On average, Catholic believers go to the church every Sunday and it is much more often than Orthodox Christians. On a par, 12% of Orthodox attend the church every week, and among Catholics, this amount rises to 43%.
Additionally, you may find a separate article about Catholicism in Ukraine.
