Orthodoxy of Ukraine During the Occupation, 1939-1944: Confessional Transformations and Political Contexts

The fifth component of the activity of the Romanian civil and religious bodies in the occupied lands presents the socio-economic aspects of the everyday life of the Orthodox clergy. Here, a peculiar strategy of survival in the conditions of war of such a social group as churchmen can be traced. Therefore, the socio-economic factor played an important role in the lives of priests and parishioners and formed the model and style of their social behaviour. In the process of reviving the Christian faith in 'Transnistria', hundreds of clerics tried to survive by renewing their spiritual status, which gave hope for improving their way of life. In the report of Archimandrite A. Nika for January-March 1942, it was noted that most of the 285 clergymen registered in 'Transnistria' “...were found and carefully selected here...”, that is, in the South of Ukraine. From the very beginning, the clergy was faced with everyday difficulties, many social problems; local priests were not paid by the state and lived on Epitrachil profits. The salary of the clergy was differentiated, and its size depended on the spiritual rank and clerical functions. If the salary of a priest or archpriest ranged from 180 RKKS (marks) in the province to 200 marks in the cathedral, then the salary of the metropolitan who headed the Mission in 'Transnistria' was several times higher. The salaries of representatives of the lower levels of the spiritual 'table of ranks' were significantly lower. However, compared to other social strata, the Orthodox churchmen received a salary of 30-40% higher than the teachers, in particular, which, in fact, set them apart in a special spiritual and social category.

And finally, the sixth segment. To prepare the mental essence of a 'man of war', it is important to pay attention to manifestations of humanity, humanism, benevolence, etc. During the period of occupation, various examples of Christian charity found their place, aimed at improving the plight of the least protected sections of the society under occupation. As a result of the evacuation and destruction of food by the communist authorities, economic extortion by the Romanian army and administration, the life of the population of 'Transnistria' was extremely difficult. The Christians organized various charity events. Funds, supervisory and guardian councils were created at the temples, which provided assistance to the needy people. These activities were especially popular in cities, where it was easier for the church to receive help in the form of funds and food from public organizations and from various financial sources. On the other hand, the situation was extremely critical in remote parishes due to economic exploitation and 'pumping out' of raw materials and foodstuffs for the Romanian army. Only the parish priests who, making ends meet, single-handedly saved Christian souls, were the exception. A special role was played by helping the Orthodox who suffered from Stalinist repressions, as well as the believers who needed social support. A separate episode of Christian benevolence of the local clergy is the saving of representatives of the Jewish community from imminent death, although the punishment for such acts was very cruel.

confessional occupied war church

Conclusions

Despite the attempts to create a single Orthodox Church in the territory occupied by the Wehrmacht, this failed due to the principle position of the German leadership, as well as the significant differences in the views of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). Firstly, the period from September 1939 to June 1941 demonstrated the attempts of the Nazi and Soviet totalitarian regimes to completely subordinate the Orthodox Church in the territories where Ukrainians lived compactly to their political course. In tolerating the Ukrainization of Orthodoxy within the Governor-General's Office, Berlin aimed to neutralize Polish and Russian influence, and the Kremlin sought to unify the Orthodox space under the omophorion of the controlled MP ROC.

Secondly, all institutional changes in both the German and Soviet leaderships grossly violated the existing traditions and canonical rules and procedures, completely depriving the Orthodox Church of its autonomy over the state and its legal status. Concerned by the definite national position of the UAOC, the Nazis resorted to strict regulation and reservations.

Thirdly, the long period of multiconfessionalism and the lack of autocephalous status for Ukrainian Orthodoxy made the process of forming a single, autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine difficult. The traditional influence of the Moscow Patriarchate as well as the active opposition of Berlin made this process impossible during World War II. Treating the UAOC as one of the elements of the Ukrainian national idea, which was based on the revival of the sovereign Ukrainian state, the Nazis restricted its activities and hindered the creation of a unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Fourthly, the Romanian administration in the occupied south-western lands of Ukraine (Transnistria), with the support of the Romanian Orthodox Mission, promoted the revival of Christian churches, drawing on the pre-revolutionary (Tikhon's Church) organisation, clerics and traditions of monarchism, etc.

Fifthly, the 'Ukrainophobic' sentiments of most Romanian Orthodox bishops and occupation structures led to a struggle against the sprouts of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which pushed the spiritual foundations of the Ukrainian state movement off the confessional map.

Sixthly, the reconstruction of the religious buildings, the restoration of worship, the involvement of hundreds of clergy in pastoral work, Christian charity and mercy, educating young people in the spirit of Christian piety, etc. contributed both to the revival of ancient Christian traditions and the establishment of the occupation regime.

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