CONFESSIONAL STRUCTURE OF UKRAINIAN SOCIETY: A FOCUS ON THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

B a c k g r o u n d . The article highlights the transformational processes occurring within the confessional structure of Ukrainian society at the turn of the millennium. The study focuses on the existing network of religious organizations and formations in Ukraine in the 21st century. It emphasizes that the granting of the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has deepened transformational processes and influenced the confessional dynamics within Ukrainian society.

M e t h o d s . The study employs a comprehensive set of methods, including historical analysis to examine the confessional landscape in its dynamics and historical retrospection; content analysis of available statistical data and statements by hierarchs of various religious organizations; a comparative method to juxtapose data from different religious organizations; expert evaluation methods; and statistical analysis of sociological data. The application of a range of philosophical and general scientific methods enabled a thorough investigation and forecasting of the confessional structure of Ukrainian society.

R e s u l t s . The study identifies the issue of the current jurisdictional division of Ukrainian Orthodoxy into three main branches, which significantly exacerbates interconfessional tensions in the country. It is noted that the confessional structure has undergone substantial changes during Ukraine's years of independence, complicating the establishment of equitable dialogue both between individual confessions and between the state and the church. Particular attention is given to the inter-Orthodox conflict and the prospects for the potential prohibition of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine.

C o n c l u s i o n s . It is emphasized that the jurisdictional division of Ukrainian Orthodoxy persists in the modern history of Ukraine. The transformation of the confessional structure of Ukrainian society is occurring at an extremely slow pace, indicating the conclusion of the extensive development phase of religious organizations represented in Ukraine. It has been demonstrated that the transformation of the confessional structure leads to changes in state-church relations, which, in turn, affect the balance of interconfessional relations.