Fr. Dr. Jaroslaw Buciora, Toronto.
On November 8, 2016, St. Volodymyr Institute in Toronto hosted a Book Launch: “Valley of Hope – The Battle of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy for its Identity”, written by Fr. Dr. J. Buciora. In contemporary literature, we can rarely find a book in the English language addressing Ukrainian religious life from the perspective of its own Ukrainian theological perspective. In many cases, published books on this theme are written as Russian propaganda or by an independent scholar analysing the subject of religious life in Ukraine based on official documents published from available sources. Most of the publications are historical in nature, which fails to represent the contemporary struggles of the Ukrainian nation for its national, cultural, and religious life. This newly published book concentrates mainly on the battle of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy in Ukraine and abroad for its identity.
A diverse array of political events around the world have contributed to the fundamental changes in the life of many countries – changes which now demand that the Christian Church articulate her responses to these events. The complexity of the changes is without precedence in the history of humanity, making the task of responding particularly important in the life of Eastern Europe, where the world has witnessed the collapse of communism, the re-emergence of the independent states, and aggressive Russian political expansionism. One of the emerged nations challenged by post-Soviet system collapse is Ukraine, which lies on the border between the modern West and imperialistic Russia. This discussion is especially important at present given the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the war in Eastern Ukraine. There is urgency to debate as the conflict in Eastern Ukraine could become a global catastrophe.
One of the elements of contemporary discussion of the post-Soviet collapse, directly connected with the daily life of the Ukrainian nation, is the battle for the Autocephalous Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church. After three centuries of Russian occupation and slavery, people of Ukraine are fighting for the soul of the nation: a Church that would be independent from Moscow’s influence and political dependency. The struggle is enormous as the nostalgic imperialistic aspirations of the Kremlin and the elite of the Russian Orthodox Church create an immense amount of ecclesiological and political difficulty that prohibits the peaceful recognition by the Orthodox Church in the World of the independent Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The battle for the Church is the battle of the Ukrainian nation for its own identity in a globalized society. These are the parameters and orientations of the first chapter of this collection of articles.
The fundamental changes in the political and sociological life of the globalized world also require from the Orthodox Church an immediate response regarding the inter-Church dialogue and the importance of religious pluralism. The Church is in a constant battle for the unity of the Christian Church, which requires a massive amount of resources and expertise. Regardless of the difficulties, the unity of Christianity remains a priority for her nature. In recognition of its position in the world, the Church is in constant dialogue with other Christian Churches and religions in our multicultural society. The complexity of a multicultural society in the globalized world requires of the Church a precise, articulated response to many immediate concerns. Discussion of these questions is embraced in the second chapter.
From another perspective, the Orthodox Church, articulating its ecclesial responses to inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue, faces the daily reality of the modern world which requires its particular attention and response. The Church cannot ignore these daily challenges, as they affect the daily life of people of all nations and cultures. These challenges are measured on a global scale as they do not recognize any borders of religious or cultural separation. Although the Church articulates its foundation in the eschatological perspective of the Kingdom of God, the daily challenges of her members are never separated from her ecclesial life. Some of the questions facing our globalized society on a daily basis are presented in the third chapter.
The last chapter of this collection contains a paper on the subject of Christian eschatology. The subject of the afterlife is as old as humanity itself, although the approach taken by contemporary Orthodox theology offers a new and challenging light on the subject. The Orthodox Church, challenged by the modern trends of philosophy and the multidimensional sphere of our life of globalized society, offers a positive approach to the subject which could be characterized as refreshing and full of hope. Without doubt, this presentation is not complete or final as the experience of the Church constantly asks of us an ascetic life and prayerful meditation.
The aforementioned analysis and presentations are collected and published under the title “The Valley of Hope”. The title itself is an allegorical expression of the Orthodox Church, particularly in Ukraine, which is being constantly challenged internally and externally by the forces of the contemporary world. The Church never ceases to be a source of hope: the valley for those who are searching for deeper dimensions of life in their local settings. The collection does not intend to be conclusive in its findings, but rather to encourage further research in the field of Orthodox theology.
For additional information regarding this publication, please contact Fr. Jaroslaw at [email protected].
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