Russian church lacks ability to deal with changing reality

Excerpt of remarks by Frank Sysyn at "Ukrainian Orthodoxy and the Question of Autocephaly: Religious and Political Dimensions of the Conflict between Constantinople and Moscow," Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, 11 October 2018. I want to make a few comments on the Russian point of view. I wish there were more scholars who deal with the Russian church here with us today, and discuss what this will mean for the Russian Orthodox Church and how it will develop 0:20 Russia is a matryoshka doll (матрёшка). The outside is the Russian Empire, Romanov imperial state, etc. 1:08 The next matryoshka is a 'Holy Rus',' and identity that is orthodox (the Third Rome) and its constituency are the Slavic people of the Russian Empire. We are seeing this layer emerge. Patriarch Kirill says this is the real Orthodoxy, the rest of Orthodoxy does not count 2:10 The inner matryoshka doll is the Russian nation, Russian nationalism. Here we have the crisis of the Russian nation from those who believe the Russian nation includes Ukrainians 2:32 Putin can tell Bush that Ukraine is not a state and should not exist, but the Church is now trying in many ways as a last gasp to say this, and it can't quite say it 2:49 All the Moscow Church would permit in Ukraine is a church with the characteristics of autonomy. But even then, they couldn't quite say this, i.e. a Ukrainian Autonomous Church 3:15 The Russian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Kirill have been remarkably lacking in an ability to deal with an increasingly changing and desperate situation Met. Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies http://www.sheptytskyinstitute.ca