On February 27, 2024, in the framework of the General Synod of the Church of England there were hearings held on the situation in Ukraine. The discussion was based on speeches of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and of the Chairman of the Mission and Public Affairs Council Mark Sheard. An important call regarding Ukraine was made with reference to the words of the apostle Paul: “Let us not become weary in doing good; for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Gal. 6:9).
A few weeks before the Synod, the respective document “The war in Ukraine and the challenge to the international order” prepared by the mentioned Council for Mission and Public Affairs, was published on its website. It expresses concern about the religious situation in Ukraine and proposes a number of theological principles of Christian attitude to war, and therefore it deserves special attention.
At the beginning of the document it is noted that “The war in Ukraine is not merely about the future of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, it is about Europe’s entire post-Cold War strategic framework and more broadly about the future shape of the values-based liberal international order that has prevailed since 1945”. The document notes that the war taking place in Ukraine has moved into the phase of confrontation of attrition. In particular, the data of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that today 17.6 million people in Ukraine require urgent humanitarian support.
In the part “Responding to the weaponisation of religion” (§14-21), the document draws special attention to the topic of freedom of religion or belief in the territories controlled by Ukrainian Government. There are mentioned cases of physical violence resulting from “disputes between parishioners of different Orthodox communities” and it is noted that “Ukrainian law enforcement’s response in these cases has been inadequate”.
There is also indicative statistics that of the total number of open criminal cases against individuals for collaboration (6,600), only 68 (that is, only 1%) relate to UOC clerics, while in at least 26 of these cases there are reasons for concern regarding the fairness of the criminal proceedings.
Also important in the document is the reference to the letter of Nick Baines, Church’s Lead Bishop on foreign policy, sent to Ukrainian high-ranking officials in November 2023, after the adoption in the first reading of the law 8371 on the possible prohibition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
It is noted here that “many of the amendment’s key terms are vague, lack definition and are open to discriminatory interpretation in ways that violate international norms on FoRB”. That is why “At its most basic, this amendment threatens collective punishment” and “is unnecessary: where individuals have committed treasons or other criminal actions against the interests of the state, then they can be held accountable under existing criminal Ukrainian law through due process”.
Of particular interest is the part “What role for the Church?” (§ 8-13), because it tries to formulate general principles of Christian attitude to a war, based on the tradition of the Church of England itself. First of all, Bishop George Bell is quoted here as saying: “It is the function of the Church at all costs to remain the Church”. That is why “Church mandate is … to proclaim the gospel of salvation in word and in deed and the formation of disciples of Jesus Church”. This should be contrasted with attempts to instrumentalize religion, because “There is always the risk that at a time of crisis such as this the Church could be co-opted onto a broader political agenda that provides uncritical support of the Ukrainian war efforts or the Government’s support of it”.
Important are principles based on the approach of William Temple, who was Archbishop of Canterbury towards the end of World War II. In total, the document highlights six principles that can be applied to the current situation in Ukraine. These are the following ones:
- Avoid jingoism and exhilaration, as to both sides of the current war,
- Labour under the constant demands of love, particularly avoiding actions or words that dehumanizes Russia or Russians,
- Effective support of Ukraine from the West should not diminish the Church’s sadness about the war,
- In supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence the West does not seek the wider humiliation of Russia,
- It is important to document the atrocities committed during the war, including the destruction of religious and cultural artefacts,
- The general direction should assert the benefits of international cooperation over competition and divisions.
The final part of the document notes that there is “a much bigger task ahead [than just supporting Ukraine] – conceiving a coherent and positive vision for a desirable international order and developing a compelling strategy that ensures that existing international rules and principles are attractive”.
In the links below one can find original materials:
- Video of the morning meeting of the General Synod of February 27, 2024 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLujozTlAEI. The topic of Ukraine is from 2:13:25 to 3:37:04, in particular, the speech of Mark Sheard – from 2:15:45 and the speech of Archbishop Justin Welby – from 2:25:30.
- Document “The war in Ukraine and the challenge to international order” – https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/gs-2348-war-in-ukraine-final-final.pdf
