Source: Amin – Wikimedia Commons.
Due to their diversity, the war in Ukraine and the Patriarch’s statements on the war have impacted Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) communities in France in different ways depending partly on the demographics of a given congregation, writes Catherine Tyson in the Bulletin de l’Observatoire International du Religieux (May). Tyson, a Fulbright Grant Awardee, has conducted research in churches belonging to the Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate in France. She remarks that Russian Orthodox parishes in France “are often home to a rich diversity of ethnicities, including both Russian and Ukrainian people,” with priests of various national backgrounds and some parishes using French as a liturgical language, “and they also exist in a space with more autonomy to voice anti-war opinions.” Such diversity has made a collective statement regarding the conflict difficult. The war in Ukraine has actually divided Russian Orthodox parishes in France and Patriarch Kirill’s support for the war has caused controversy.
Some priests have stopped commemorating Kirill during services as a protest; this is the case in at least one parish, after discussions between the priest and the congregation. Others feel that commemorating the Patriarch is traditional and should not be stopped unilaterally, although this does not necessarily mean that they support the war. Priests differ on whether to openly condemn Russia’s actions, with some seeing politics as outside the church’s role. Moreover, people have a variety of reasons for attending a specific parish or not, and personal ties to a parish and its parishioners may be more important than statements by the Patriarch. A number of Ukrainians continue to take part in the life of Russian Orthodox parishes, including people who left Ukraine after the war began and now attend ROC churches, because they feel that they should be part of a canonical church. In the Paris area, a new Ukrainian Orthodox church under Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv now gives Ukrainians an alternative place to worship without commemorating Kirill. The situation is complex and evolving, based on the progression of the war and individual circumstances. Tyson stresses the need for research regarding the consequences of war on religion.
(Bulletin de l’Observatoire International du Religieux, https://obsreligion.cnrs.fr/bulletin/effects-of-the-war-in-ukraine-on-russian-orthodox-parishes-in-france-english-version/)
