War as a Path to a Crossroads: The Fate of Covenantal Pluralism in Ukraine

Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukraine had achieved impressive levels of religious pluralism, religious freedoms, and inter-faith cooperation. In predominantly Orthodox societies, covenants of mutually beneficial engagement between state and church leaders usually color political life and inform social and political change. The threats to Ukrainian state sovereignty created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted Ukrainian state authorities to pursue “spiritual independence” as a component of national security. This article evaluates the existence of covenantal pluralism in Ukraine prior to the invasion and compares this to recent developments in wartime Ukraine that have brought religious pluralism to a critical crossroads.