Religion

At risk of generalising, Ukrainians are, on average, more religious than Brits. Over 1/3 of Ukrainians go to church at least once a month; half as many Brits do the same.

The religious situation in Ukraine is as complex as it is elsewhere, but most Ukrainians identify as "Orthodox". There are a few important things to say about this. In Ukraine, there are two branches of the Orthodox Church. One, often called the "Moscow Patriarchate" is effectively Putin-aligned. Unfortunately, most Russian-language Orthodox Churches in the UK are of this branch. The other—the Orthodox Church of Ukraine—does not really have a presence in the UK, as it is much newer.

In better news, most of the Orthodox churches in the UK are Greek Orthodox, under what is called the "Ecumenical Patriarchate". The Ecumenical Patriarch has been critical of Putin and the war. However, many of the services available will be in Greek. The Orthodox Church in Brighton is a good example of this. There is one church that conducts services in English, which is in Lewes. I can recommend both churches, having spoken to their priests. There are also other Orthodox churches in and around West Sussex, conducting services in other languages, e.g., Romanian.

Some Church of England churches manage to feel Orthodox, and therefore familiar to your guests. The presence of Orthodox iconography accomplishes this. For example, the parish church of St Catherine of Siena, Cocking features many icons. Ukrainian Orthodox are more than welcome there.

For more information about religious and spiritual matters, please contact Fr Jonathan at 07799271913.