ORTHODOXY, GENDER, AND
THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION:
MAPPING THE DISCOURSE
IN UKRAINE
Regina Elsne
ZOiS REPORT
No.2 / 2021 · Ma ch 2021
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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Con en
02 ___ Summa y
04 ___ In oduc ion
06 ___ Eu opean an igende ism and eligion
08 ___ The heological ounda ion o a i udes owa ds gende
08 ______ An h opology: sex and amily
09 ______ Social e hics: iolence and sin
10 ___ A undamen alis and igh -wing shi
10 ______ Gende as an alien concep
12 ______ Gende as an ideology
13 ___ Con adic o y alliances
13 ______ The Uk ainian G eek Ca holic Chu ch and he Roman Ca holic Chu ch
14 ______ P o es an and e angelical chu ches
15 ______ In a-O hodox ela ions
17 ___ Conclusions and ou look
19 ___ Imp in
Summa y
– Religious ac o s play a key ole in opposing Uk aine’s a i ica ion o he Is-
anbul Con en ion on domes ic iolence. Ye , he a ying and con adic o y
a gumen s o Uk ainian chu ches on ques ions o gende ha e been insu -
icien ly s udied.
– The an igende mo emen is a global phenomenon, and he posi ion o O -
hodoxy in Uk aine mi o s he a gumen s and ne wo ks o eligious an-
igende ism in Eu ope mo e widely. Eu opean in eg a ion also ac s as a
ca alys o gende issues, as does Uk aine’s eligious plu alism, in which
Roman Ca holic, G eek Ca holic, O hodox, and P o es an chu ches a e in-
e wined.
– Gende discou se ouches on c ucial eachings o Ch is ian heology abou
an h opology and social e hics. Ye , al hough he no ions o jus ice, digni y,
and equali y could se e as a b idge be ween O hodox heology and gende
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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concep s, Uk aine’s O hodox chu ches e use o engage wi h gende dis-
cou se.
– Alongside heological a gumen s, he chu ches’ s a emen s allow a wide
space o iden i y a gumen s and, as a esul , ha e caused a se ious unda-
men alis and igh -wing shi . Those a gumen s lea e no oom o dialogue
o e en he emo al o possible misunde s andings abou gende concep s
and pose a se ious obs acle o heological esea ch on gende oles, gende
jus ice, and gende -based iolence.
– An igende discou se uni es di e en chu ches and eligions ha o he -
wise ha e huge mu ual ese a ions. While Ca holic chu ches and P o es-
an communi ies ely on a long his o y o opposing gende discou se in
Wes e n socie ies, o O hodox chu ches in he pos -So ie con ex , he pos-
sible a i ica ion o he Is anbul Con en ion is a special igge , as hey eel
a need o emphasise hei indispensable s a us o ans o ming socie ies.
– Recen ac ions by Uk aine’s chu ches and eligious communi ies on he is-
sue o domes ic iolence and s eps owa ds a dialogue wi h NGOs on his
opic a e welcome ges u es o o e come he deadlocked discou se abou he
Is anbul Con en ion. Ye , o a oid he suspicion ha his shi is me ely an
insince e show o he chu ches’ p o-Eu opean a i ude, a p o ound heologi-
cal engagemen wi h s uc u al iolence and injus ice has o ollow.
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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In oduc ion
In 2011, Uk aine signed he Council o Eu ope Con en ion on P e en ing
and Comba ing Violence Agains Women and Domes ic Violence, known as
he Is anbul Con en ion. FIGURE 1 Since hen, s uggles ha e con inued
unaba ed o e he a i ica ion o he con en ion and i s implemen a ion in o
Uk ainian law and socie y. One o he main obs acles comp ises eligious
communi ies and conse a i e g oups, which s ongly oppose he use o
he e m ‘gende ’ in he ex o he con en ion. Family alues and he igh
agains he implemen a ion o gende in Uk ainian legisla ion on employ-
men , educa ion, ha e speech, and domes ic iolence a e he mos equen
opics on he agenda in discussions be ween s a e ins i u ions and eligious
ac o s.1 In 2017 and again in 2020, plans by he Uk ainian go e nmen o
a i y he Is anbul Con en ion we e pos poned because o eligious in e -
en ion.2
These obse a ions coincide wi h su eys ha con i m ha O hodox-ma-
jo i y coun ies end o hold mo e adi ional and conse a i e opinions on
amily and gende no ms. Ye , no leas he cu en expe ience o Poland,
whe e a ban on abo ion and he coun y’s impending exi om he Is anbul
1 See he homepage o he All-Uk ainian Council o Chu ches and Religious O ganisa ions
(AUCCRO), h ps:// ci o.o g.ua/ua.
2 Ia yna G usha Possamai, ‘Kyi ’s Con inuing Failu e o Implemen he Is anbul Con en ion’,
Wilson Cen e , 13 July 2020, h ps://www.wilsoncen e .o g/blog-pos /kyi s-con inuing-
ailu e-implemen -is anbul-con en ion.
Sou ce: Von Nede landse Leeuw, sou ce: Council o Eu ope websi e, s a us as o 9 Ma ch 2021, CC BY-SA 4.0,
h ps://commons.wikimedia.o g/w/index.php?cu id=88122244
FIGURE 1
Ra i ica ion o he Council o Eu ope’s Is anbul Con en ion on iolence
agains women
Ra i ied / In o ce Signed bu no ye a i ied No signed No CoE-membe
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
5
Con en ion ha e caused massi e p o es s, shows ha Uk aine and O ho-
doxy a e no an exclusi e case in he ba le o e gende issues in gene al and
he implemen a ion o he Is anbul Con en ion in pa icula . Chu ches in
se e al Eu opean coun ies ha e publicly opposed he con en ion because
o i s expec a ion o signa o ies o no malise he concep o gende in hei
legisla ion and educa ion.
Religious a gumen s shape an igende ism in all socie ies. O en, eligion
appea s o be a sel -e iden aspec o he an igende mo emen . Ye , he
seemingly na u al equa ion o eligion and an igende ism no only hinde s
a mo e de ailed analysis o he con en o eligious c i ique and he wide
s uc u es ha a ec chu ches’ posi ions bu also ails o ecognise he di-
e si y o a i udes wi hin eligion.
In mos Wes e n Eu opean coun ies, chu ches play an impo an bu no
a decisi e pa in deba es abou sociopoli ical de elopmen s. In Uk aine,
Poland, and Russia, howe e , chu ches ha e a s onge impac on social
discou se and, pa ly, e en on poli ics. FIGURE 2 The easons o his a e
mani old and embedded in Eas e n Eu ope’s dis inc i e his o y, pos -social-
is ans o ma ion, and al e na i e pa h o secula isa ion and desecula isa-
ion. In ol ing eligious communi ies in p ocesses o deba e and lawmaking
in he social sphe e can be c ucial o he ou comes o hose p ocesses. I is
he e o e necessa y o analyse chu ches’ a gumen s and posi ions in a com-
p ehensi e way.
Sou ces: Russia – Le ada Cen e , 2020, h ps://www.le ada. u/2020/09/21/do e ie-ins i u am/do e ie-4/; Uk aine – KIIS, 2020,
h p://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang= us&ca = epo s&id=1005&page=1; Poland – s a is a.com, 2021, h ps://www.s a is a.com/
s a is ics/1193389/poland- us -in-public-ins i u ions/; Moldo a – Ba ome ul Opiniei Publice Republic o Moldo a,
Ins i u ul de Poli ici Publice, Ok obe 2020, h p://bop.ipp.md
FIGURE 2
Mos us ed ins i u ions
Pe cen age o people who say hey us , ully us o mos ly us said ins i u ion
Russia Uk aine Bela us Poland Moldo a
Chu ch 42% 52% 40% 40% 74%
Pa liamen 29% 12% 17% 25% 6%
Cou 31% 12% 21% 46% 12%
Media 35% 30% 18% 49%
Довериеинститутам–Левада-Центр(le ada. u)
h p://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang= us&ca = epo s&id=1005&page=1
ZOiSSu ey2020
h ps://www.s a is a.com/s a is ics/1193389/poland- us -in-public-ins i u ions/
Pe cen ageo peoplewhosay hey us , ully us o mos ly us saidins i u ion.
42%
52%
40%
40%
74%
29%
12%
17%
25%
6%
31%
12%
21%
46%
12%
35%
30%
18%
49%
Russia
Uk aine
Bela us
Poland
Moldo a
Mos us edins u ons
Chu ch Pa liamen Cou Media
Quelle: ZOiS
Chu ch Cou Pa liamen Media
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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In his epo , he implemen a ion o he Is anbul Con en ion in Uk aine
se es as a case s udy o he in e wo en ac o s ha shape he posi ion o
he O hodox Chu ch and he impac s o hese ac o s on gende poli ics.
Based on a close eading o o icial documen s and on in e iews wi h ex-
pe s, he epo analyses he di e en ace s o an igende discou se among
he b anches o he O hodox Chu ch in Uk aine. The epo explo es he
documen s o he All-Uk ainian Council o Chu ches and Religious O gani-
sa ions (AUCCRO), he Uk ainian O hodox Chu ch (UOC), and he O hodox
Chu ch o Uk aine (OCU). In mos cases, when i comes o issues o gende ,
homosexuali y, and he Is anbul Con en ion, he wo O hodox chu ches e-
e di ec ly o he documen s o he AUCCRO.
Besides he conse a i e and undamen alis endencies and g oups wi hin
he chu ches, a genuine heological p ocess o lea ning abou gende he-
o ies also plays a ole. Mo eo e , local s a egies o dema ca ion be ween
di e en eligious communi ies, as well as geopoli ical con lic s and con-
side a ions, may all ha e c ucial impac s on he chu ches’ posi ions. This
epo s a s by pu ing he Uk ainian case in con ex wi hin he Eu opean
de elopmen o an igende ism and eligion. I hen sys ema ises he main
heological, s uc u al, and geopoli ical aspec s o he posi ions o he O -
hodox Chu ch, be o e analysing hese posi ions in ela ion o he ac i i ies
o eligious ac o s in Uk aine’s an igende mo emen .
Eu opean an igende ism and eligion
The concep o an igende ism as a mo emen ha in ol es an in e play o
poli ical, social, and eligious igh -wing populis ac o s has ecei ed in-
c easing a en ion beyond eminis discou se in ecen yea s.3 This is e-
la ed o a noisy g ow h o oices in he poli ical and public sphe es ha dis-
c edi all o ms o s uggle agains gende disc imina ion as an ideology
and a ‘mino i y dic a o ship’.4 Bu e en beyond hese oices, he concep o
gende and he social and poli ical p ac ices associa ed wi h i a e causing
unce ain y.
Eas e n Eu opean coun ies a e no excep ion in his con ex . On he one
hand, he gende discou se he e acqui es an addi ional geopoli ical compo-
nen . Accep ance o he concep o gende indica es an a ilia ion o he Eu-
opean p ojec , in he eyes bo h o ac o s who a ou as Eu opean in eg a-
ion and o hose who oppose i . On he o he hand, iden i y discou se in he
con ex o pos -So ie ans o ma ions in ensi ies he unce ain y caused by
gende heo ies.
A ecen analysis o an igende ism in Eu ope by Ge man heologian Sonja
S ube and o he s shows he ole o eligions and eligious ne wo ks — espe-
cially he Ca holic Chu ch in C oa ia, Hunga y, Poland, and o he coun ies — in
3 Sabine Ha k and Paula-I ene Villa, eds., An i-Gende ismus. Sexuali ä und Geschlech als
Schauplä ze ak uelle poli ische Auseinande se zungen (Biele eld: ansc ip Ve lag, 2015).
4 See, o example, he he o ic o pa liamen a ians o he Al e na i e o Ge many pa y: ‘D .
Ch is ine Baum MdL: keine Minde hei en-Dik a u ’, A D-F ak ion im Land ag on Baden-
Wü embe g, 14 Oc obe 2020, h ps://www.a d- ak ion-bw.de/ak uelles/3470/D .+Ch is i
ne+Baum+MdL%3A+keine+Minde hei en-Dik a u .
The concep o gende is
causing unce ain y.
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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he igh agains gende equali y.5 A he same ime, a p o ound heological
analysis o he dogma ic ounda ions o c i iques o gende heo ies is aking
place, which gi es hope ha ha dened posi ions may be o e come.6
In Eas e n Eu ope, O hodoxy is a c ucial elemen in he esis ance o
gende -sensi i e policies, as highligh ed by su eys by he Pew Resea ch
Cen e .
‘In O hodox-majo i y coun ies, iews on sexual and gende no ms
a e mo e adi ional and conse a i e han in Ca holic-majo i y o e-
ligiously mixed coun ies. Adul s in O hodox coun ies a e mo e like-
ly han hose elsewhe e o ejec homosexuali y and o oppose same-
sex ma iage and legal abo ion. Highe sha es in O hodox coun ies
also a o adi ional oles o women in ma iage and socie y; many
say ha women ha e a social esponsibili y o bea child en, ha men
should ha e g ea e igh s o jobs when jobs a e sca ce and ha wi es
mus always obey hei husbands.’ 7
Pew Resea ch Cen e , May 2017
In he pos -So ie space, he e has been a lack o de ailed s udies on he
s uc u es and con en o gende c i iques and he ole o eligion in hese
discou ses. Tha is e en hough nume ous analyses o he egion’s new con-
se a ism and dispu es o e so-called adi ional alues poin o a c ucial
ole o he dominan Russian O hodox Chu ch.8
Discussions o gende jus ice in Uk aine a e pa icula ly e ealing agains
his backg ound. No only does Eu opean in eg a ion ac as a ca alys o
gende issues in he coun y, bu so oo does eligious plu alism, in which
Roman Ca holic, G eek Ca holic, O hodox, and P o es an chu ches a e
in e wined. The con en , s uc u es, and con adic ions o an igende dis-
cou se can be illus a ed pa icula ly clea ly in his con ex .
5 Sonja A. S ube e al., eds., An i-Gende ismus in Eu opa. Allianzen on Rech spopulismus
und eligiösem Fundamen alismus. Mobilisie ung – Ve ne zung – T ans o ma ion (Biele eld:
ansc ip Ve lag, 2021).
6 Be nha d G ümme and Gunda We ne , eds., Judi h Bu le und die Theologie. He aus o de -
ungen und Rezep ion (Biele eld: ansc ip Ve lag, 2020).
7 T a is Mi chell, ‘Religious Belie and Na ional Belonging in Cen al and Eas e n Eu ope:
5. Social iews and mobili y’, Pew Resea ch Cen e , 10 May 2017, h ps://www.pew o um.
o g/2017/05/10/social- iews-and-mo ali y/.
8 K is ina S oeckl and Dmi y Uzlane , eds., Pos secula Con lic s: Deba ing adi ion in Russia
and he Uni ed S a es (Innsb uck: Innsb uck Uni e si y P ess, 2020); Ka ha ina Bluhm and
Mihai Va ga, eds., New Conse a i es in Russia and Eas Cen al Eu ope (New Yo k: Rou -
ledge, 2018); Regina Elsne , ‘Gende und die adi ionellen Familienwe e: De Bei ag de
Russischen O hodoxen Ki che zu ussischen Iden i ä skons uk ion’, in Gende -Na ion-
Religion. Ein in e na ionale Ve gleich on Ak eu ss a egien und Disku s e lech ungen,
edi ed by Ma en Beh ensen e al. (Müns e : Campus, 2019).
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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The heological ounda ion o a i udes
owa ds gende
Fo a chu ch, heological a gumen s a e undamen al o any discussion, e en
i he issue in ques ion is no a pu ely ecclesias ical opic. Gende discou se
ouches on some c ucial eachings o Ch is ian heology ega ding an h o-
pology and social e hics. In he Wes e n Ca holic and P o es an academic
adi ions, hese ques ions ha e ecei ed in-dep h heological esea ch, al-
hough his is no always su icien ly s udied and adap ed by chu ch lead-
e s. In Uk aine, O hodox heology is s ill e ol ing because o he legacy o
So ie ep ession and pos -So ie ins i u ional p ocesses. As a esul , he gap
be ween academic heology and i s in e p e a ion by chu ch leade s does
no play a key ole in his s udy, which ocuses ins ead on o icial s a emen s.
An h opology: sex and amily
In he majo ex s o Uk aine’s O hodox chu ches on gende poli ics, he main
a gumen cen es on he ‘unna u al in e p e a ion o sex’ allegedly p opa-
ga ed by suppo e s o he Is anbul Con en ion and o he an idisc imina ion
ini ia i es.9 The chu ches each a igid biological unde s anding o wo com-
plemen a y sexes, e e ing o biblical ex s abou God’s c ea ion o ‘male and
emale’ (Gen 1:27). In his pe spec i e, gende h ea ens he God-made duali y,
as i in oduces di e si y and ex ends he unde s anding o sex om a na u al
de e mina ion o a cha ac e is ic wi h cul u al, social, and indi idual compo-
nen s. The chu ch’s con ic ion abou his na u al o de o ces any ecogni-
ion o he au onomous indi idual o be subo dina ed — o e en excluded as
‘unna u al’.10 Ye , he biblical in e p e a ion o he duali y o sex also se es as
he ounda ion o a commi men o gende equali y.
‘We ha e always ad oca ed and will con inue o ad oca e equal social
igh s and oppo uni ies o women and men’. 11
Me opoli an Epiphanius, head o he O hodox Chu ch o Uk aine (OCU)
As a esul o he chu ch’s bina y unde s anding o sex, he de ini ion o
amily is also based on he na u al complemen a i y o he wo sexes, wi h
no space o social o cul u al con ex o pe sonal choice. This concep o he
he e osexual amily has been gi en a sac ed au a as a ‘small chu ch’, which
includes a pa ia chal ma ix wi h he man as he head o he amily and he
9 Me opoli an Epiphanius, speech a he AUCCRO mee ing wi h he p ime minis e o
Uk aine, 20 Augus 2020, h ps://www.pomisna.in o/uk/ si-no yny/p omo a-p eds oy-
a elya-na-zus ichi- seuk ayinskoyi- ady- se ko -i- eligijnyh-o ganiza sij-z-p em-ye -minis-
om-uk ayiny-2/.
10 See also he AUCCRO s a emen on homosexuali y, 15 May 2007, h ps://blago.chu ch.
ua/2015/11/19/dekla aciya- ci o-p o-nega i ne-s a lennya-do-ya ishha-gomoseksual-
izmu- a- ak-z anix-odnos a e ix-shlyubi /; Me opoli an Pan eleimon, commen on d a
law no. 3316, 5 May 2020, h ps:// amily.chu ch.ua/a chi es/9410.
11 Me opoli an Epiphanius, speech a he AUCCRO mee ing; X.1; X.5 o he Basis o Social
Concep o he ROC, h ps://blago.chu ch.ua/socialna-koncepciya/.
Fo he chu ch, gende
h ea ens he God-made
duali y o he sexes.
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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woman as he ca ing and lo ing keepe o he home.12 De ining he woman’s
key ole as a mo he es ablishes a special s a us, which aims o legi imise
equal bu di e en o ms o digni y o women and men.
To a ce ain ex en , he sac ed au a o he amily also legi imises a ban on ex-
e nal in e en ion in in e nal con lic s. This is one o he main a gumen s
used by he Russian O hodox Chu ch o oppose legal p o ec ion agains do-
mes ic iolence, which i pe cei es as an i- amily.13 The Uk ainian O hodox
Chu ch, howe e , has no adop ed his posi ion.
Social e hics: iolence and sin
Gende discou se also ouches on social e hics as he heological discipline
conce ned wi h socie al s uc u es. Violence as a o m o beha iou in in-
di idual and social con ex s could be expec ed o be an impo an subjec
o heological deba e, especially in Uk aine, which is su e ing an ongoing
a med con lic in he eas o he coun y and has expe ienced iolen e-
p ession o p o es . The chu ches’ documen s abou domes ic iolence — as
well as a med con lic — ejec iolence, bu hey do no p esen any wide
heological o e hical concep o iolence, such as sys emic o s uc u al io-
lence. Ra he , iolence is in e p e ed wi hin he ca ego y o sin, which e e s
o pe sonal, indi idual ac s agains God’s will.14
‘Any iolence is a lag an iola ion o human igh s and Ch is ian al-
ues. In pa icula , domes ic iolence should no ake place in ou li es,
because he amily is he domes ic chu ch.’
Me opoli an Epiphanius
Domes ic iolence, in his amewo k, is seen as an indi idual o ence by one
pe son agains ano he , hus iola ing God’s eachings o lo e and human dig-
ni y. Acco dingly, he chu ches’ solu ion o his kind o iolence consis s o in-
di idual con ession, epen ance, and econcilia ion. The main poli ical s a -
egy p oposed by he chu ches o comba ing domes ic iolence is he imp o e-
men o mo ali y and adi ional amily alues in socie y h ough Ch is ian
educa ion.15
Bo h heological a gumen s make clea ha hey do no p o ide a i m oun-
da ion o a comp ehensi e discou se abou gende issues. P oponen s o
hese a gumen s e use om he ou se o engage wi h wha hey see as an
12 Bishop Pan eleimon, speech a he in e na ional o um ‘The La ge Family and he Fu u e o
Humani y’, Moscow, 10 Sep embe 2014, h ps:// amily.chu ch.ua/a chi es/2002; X.5 o he
Basis o Social Concep o ROC, h ps://blago.chu ch.ua/socialna-koncepciya/.
13 ‘Cla i ica ions on he assessmen o he e m “domes ic iolence”, o he simila e ms and
ela ed concep s and app oaches’, Pa ia chal Commission o Family and he P o ec ion
o Mo he hood and Childhood, 25 Janua y 2015, h p://pk-semya. u/dokumen y-komissii/
i em/2136-poyasneniya-nasilie.h ml; Bela usian O hodox Chu ch, h p://ecumena.by/?p=654.
14 ‘AUCCRO appeal o he Pa liamen on he inexpediency and isks o he a i ica ion o he
Is anbul Con en ion’, AUCCRO, 10 Decembe 2018, h ps:// ci o.o g.ua/ua/s a emen s/
ucc o-appeal- o-pa liamen -agains -is anbul-con en ion.
15 ‘Resolu ion on “Communi y mobilisa ion agains domes ic and gende -based iolence”’,
26Ma ch 2019, AUCCRO, h ps:// ci o.o g.ua/ua/news/ esolu ion-communi y-mobiliza-
ion-agains -domes ic- iolence-and-sex-based- iolence.
Domes ic iolence is
seen as an indi idual
o ence.
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
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A he same ime, he OCU has close ela ionships wi h he Ecumenical Pa-
ia cha e and i s dioceses in he US and Canada, which ha e ac i ely sup-
po ed he new chu ch since i s o ma ion. In 2020, he Ecumenical Pa ia -
cha e and i s Ame ican a chdiocese published a basic documen on social
e hics, which openly ques ioned he adi ional biological and na alis na -
owing o sexuali y.35 The documen admi edly a oided he e m ‘gende ’,
hus missing an oppo uni y o commi o his ace o jus ice. Ye , by ac-
knowledging ha homosexuali y, bisexuali y, and o he sexual iden i ies
a e no ma e s o indi idual choice, he au ho s made a huge s ep owa ds a
dialogue on gende ques ions. I emains o be seen how he OCU will eac
o his mo e.
The UOC, in con as , ied o e ain a mo e apoli ical posi ion, especially a -
e 2014, when e e y public s a emen by he chu ch on social and poli ical
ma e s was in e p e ed as he messaging o he Moscow Pa ia cha e — he
Russian mo he chu ch o he UOC — o as Russian p opaganda. The ep e-
sen a i es o he UOC he e o e placed an emphasis on biblical and mo al
a gumen s and a oided di ec e e ences o Eu opean in eg a ion o o he
Russian discou se on adi ional alues. The Moscow Pa ia cha e s ic ly
ejec s no only gende discou se bu also any legisla i e measu es agains
domes ic iolence in gene al. Eschewing accusa ions o i s dependence on
Moscow, he UOC has e ained om such s a emen s and has commi ed o
he ac i i ies o he AUCCRO in he igh agains domes ic iolence.
An igende discou se is one o he key sphe es in which he chu ches seek
o de end hei public ole in an inc easingly secula socie y. Pe haps su -
p isingly, he igh agains gende equali y uni es di e en chu ches and
eligions ha o he wise ha e majo mu ual ese a ions. This in e na ional
phenomenon has been desc ibed by Russian heologian And ey Shishko
as ‘Ecumenism 2.0’, which e e s o a conse a i e o m o ecumenical ela-
ions ca ied ou by he s onges c i ics o he ecumenical mo emen .36 Bo h
conse a i e e angelical g oups and se e al O hodox chu ches a e highly
c i ical o he ecumenism ep esen ed by he Wo ld Council o Chu ches and
o he in e na ional and egional ini ia i es, e en hough hey uni e agains
he common enemy o a secula socie y.
Ye , o Uk ainian chu ches, acceding o his mo emen is p oblema ic, be-
cause one o he main gua dians o adi ional alues a he in e na ion-
al le el is he Russian O hodox Chu ch.37 I is a majo challenge o he
chu ches in Uk aine o ind an independen way o opposing gende equal-
i y measu es wi hou ei he emb acing he Russian an igende na a i e o
isking hei own commi men o Eu opean in eg a ion.
35 ‘Fo he Li e o he Wo ld: Towa ds a Social E hos o he O hodox Chu ch’, G eek-O hodox
A chdiocese o Ame ica, Len 2020, h ps://www.goa ch.o g/social-e hos.
36 And ey Shishko , ‘Two Ecumenisms: Conse a i e Ch is ian Alliances as a New Fo m o Ecu-
menical Coope a ion’, Gosuda s o, eligiia, se ko ’ Rossii i za ubezhom 35, no. 1 (2017):
pp. 268 – 99.
37 See he esea ch o K is ina S oeckl and he ERC- unded p ojec Pos secula Con lic s:
h ps://zenodo.o g/communi ies/pos secula con lic s/?page=1&size=20.
Th ough an igende
discou se, he chu ches
seek o de end hei
public ole in a secula
socie y.
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
17
Conclusions and ou look
By analysing he discou se o Uk aine’s O hodox chu ches on he Is anbul
Con en ion and ela ed an idisc imina ion measu es, his epo has docu-
men ed he heological challenges, undamen alis endencies, and compli-
ca ed ela ions o he an igende mo emen in Uk aine and in e na ionally.
Two open ques ions emain, and bo h poin o possible pe spec i es in a
deadlocked si ua ion.
Fi s , opposi ion o he Is anbul Con en ion has so a ocused on he ques-
ion o gende . Ye , he heological analysis shows ha he e is ano he im-
po an ield ela ed o he con en ion’s o iginal aims: he ques ion o io-
lence. The chu ches a no poin con end his opic, bu no do hey deal wi h
i in a se ious manne , and so i lea es a pa icula gap in he discou se.
In 2017, Uk aine’s eligious communi ies connec ed hei ejec ion o he
Is anbul Con en ion wi h a call o Uk ainian legisla ion on domes ic io-
lence. Two yea s la e , he AUCCRO decla ed i s join commi men o he igh
agains domes ic iolence and iolence agains women.38 And in 2020, he
Ins i u e o Religious F eedom and he ACCURO launched he p ojec S op
Violence!, which is inanced by he CanadaFundUA o local ini ia i es.
38 ‘Resolu ion on “Communi y mobilisa ion”’, AUCCRO.
Sou ce: Keywo ds o he analysed s a emen s by AUCCRO
FIGURE 3
Wo dcloud based on analysed documen s
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
18
To da e, he p ojec ’s s a emen s me ely ci e indi idual easons o iolence,
such as alcoholism o a lack o pas o al and psychological suppo o ami-
lies su e ing con lic .39 Religious communi ies aim o con ibu e o hei
decla ed al e na i e o he Is anbul Con en ion, ye hey consis en ly a oid
he e m ‘gende ’ and concep s ela ed o gende heo ies, hus missing he
s uc u al p oblem o gende -based iolence. As p ojec expe Te iana Ka-
leynichenko has said, he wo k o he ini ia i e has so a emained on a
decla a i e le el.40
Ye , planned p ojec ou comes, such as a heological and p ac ical unde -
s anding o he causes o domes ic iolence, public discussions o ways o
p e en and coun e iolence, and psychological and spi i ual suppo o
bo h ic ims and pe pe a o s o iolence, ela e di ec ly o es ablished con-
cep s o s uc u al gende -based iolence.41 Fo he ime being, he new p o-
jec ’s decisi e posi i e a i ude and he absence o nega i e he o ic in i s
s a emen s a e encou aging signs.
Second, analysis o eligious ne wo ks shows signi ican echo chambe s,
which exclude o ma ginalise e e y o he poin o iew on gende ques-
ions. The OCU, which has been o ced o ela e o he mo e open posi ion
o he Ecumenical Pa ia cha e, is so a he only challenge o his closed
o m o communica ion. Acco ding o an expe on he ela ions be ween
eligious communi ies and poli ics, he chu ches ha e made no a emp o
each ou o p o-gende NGOs o he academic communi y o an exchange
o dialogue on gende - ela ed opics.42 The S op Violence! p ojec ’s dialogue
wi h NGOs has so a included only o ganisa ions ha a e no ou spokenly
p o-gende .
Howe e , hose NGOs ha ad oca e he adop ion o he Is anbul Con en-
ion, equal gende igh s, and an idisc imina ion measu es wi h a Eu o-
pean s anda d, like he Uk ainian Women’s Fund, La S ada, and Women
in Media, also lack eligious expe ise and o en limi hei pe spec i es on
adical undamen alis mo emen s.43 None o he majo online pla o ms
on gende issues p o ides opical in o ma ion abou eligious app oaches
o gende oles, s uc u al iolence, o an idisc imina ion s a egies. Mo e
ema kably, he da abase o a women’s o ganisa ion ha suppo s ic ims o
domes ic iolence gi es no in o ma ion abou eligious shel e s o o he o -
e s. Simila ly, he new homepage o he S op Violence! p ojec links only o
he Kyi -based suppo g oup Ca i as and no o he o ganisa ions, ne wo ks,
o shel e s in Uk aine.
39 See also ‘Ins uc ion o pas o al wo ke s Comba ing Domes ic Violence’ by he Con e ence
o Roman-Ca holic Bishops in Uk aine (27 Decembe 2020), which add esses only pe sonal
easons and solu ions o domes ic iolence: h ps://kmc.media/2021/02/04/p o ydiya-
domashnomu-nasyls u-ins ukciya-dlya-dushpas y i .h ml.
40 Te iana Kalenychenko, ‘Domes ic iolence in Uk aine: wha ole o eligious leade s?’, ZOiS
Spo ligh 5 / 2021, 11 Feb ua y 2021, h ps://en.zois-be lin.de/publica ions/zois-spo ligh /
domes ic- iolence-in-uk aine-wha - ole- o - eligious-leade s/.
41 ‘Appeal o he All-Uk ainian Council o Chu ches and Religious O ganisa ions on he need o
comba domes ic iolence in Uk aine’, AUCCRO, 1 Decembe 2020, h ps:// amily.o g.ua/ua/
news/ucc o-s a emen -agains -domes ic- iolence.
42 Au ho o - he- eco d in e iew, Feb ua y 2021.
43 Uk ainian Women’s Fund, h ps://uw .o g.ua/; La S ada, h ps://la-s ada.o g.ua/; Gende
in De ail, h ps://gende inde ail.o g.ua/.
ZOiS Repo 2 / 2021 O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con en ion
19
A 2020 s udy by he Uk ainian Women’s Fund in o an igende mo emen s
in Uk aine unde lines he need o be e communica ion wi h eligious ac-
o s. The epo admi s: ‘A numbe o o ganisa ions analysed do no ha e
a na u al an igende o ien a ion. They only si ua ionally use p epa ed slo-
gans . . . o pick up o he people’s na a i es.’44 Wi hou doub , imp o ing
he con ac s be ween eligious and ci il socie y o ganisa ions o gain a be -
e le el o mu ual unde s anding would be a c ucial s ep owa ds a oiding
u he adicalisa ion o he an igende mo emen .
Finally, he UOC is absen om he public p o iles o bo h he S op Violence!
p ojec and he call o a dialogue wi h women’s NGOs. Compa ed wi h he
OCU, he UOC p obably has s onge heological esou ces and lesse en-
dencies owa ds igh -wing he o ic due o i s ansna ional s uc u e. How-
e e , he UOC has d opped ou o he discou se because o i s geopoli ical
en anglemen wi h Russia and he agg essi e an igende s ance o he Mos-
cow Pa ia cha e. Bo h he OCU’s e o s o aise i s p o ile as a s ong oice
o Uk ainian O hodoxy and he UOC’s a emp s o main ain a neu al and
apoli ical posi ion pa alyse he chu ches’ abili ies o os e heological dia-
logue on c ucial social issues.
44 ‘Гендер чи Антигендер: Хто атакує демократію в Україні?’, Uk ainian Women’s Fund,
Sep embe 2020, h ps://www.uw .o g.ua/news/11901.
Imp in
Au ho
Regina Elsne
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Regina Elsne : ‘O hodoxy, gende , and he Is anbul Con-
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2 / 2021, (h ps://www.zois-be lin.de/ ileadmin/media/
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ISSN 2512-7233
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