This meeting continues a series of open discussions and practices within the Ukrainian-Swedish Forum. It is a platform, initiated by Sankt Ignatios College, for long-term dialogue and actions on Ukraine’s reconstruction and democratic post-war renewal, thereby building a shared Ukrainian-European horizon.

One of Ukraine’s defining characteristics is diversity. This applies to the country’s religious landscape as well. Various religious groups, including Muslim and Jewish, rub their shoulders without pushing each other. Diversity causes friction only when it comes to the Orthodox churches. They do not accept each other, to say the least, and thus destabilise the fragile internal balances within the country. The talk will explore the imbalances between the Ukrainian Orthodox churches and suggest ways to rebalance them.

Cyril Hovorun is a professor of Ecclesiology, International Relations and Ecumenism at Sankt Ignatios College. He is also the Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.