Where are the Boundaries of a Religious Community during "Referendums" on Joining the Kyiv Patriarchate?

When the seizure of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church churches is preceded by the so-called referendums or polls, it is unclear what the term means. How to determine who exactly belongs to the community? Does the community include all the residents of a village where a seizure is planned? Is it correct to survey all without exception?

Speaking from a legal point of view, a religious community is a group of people practicing or professing the same religion. Here the question arises, what "practice" or "profess" means? In fact, without going into details, it’s clear that "to practice religion" means to actively participate in the community life: to attend worship regularly, participate in Sacraments, engage in certain social or missionary projects, etc. To "profess religion" is to know the basic tenets that guide one or another Christian tradition (in the case of Orthodoxy – at least "The Symbol of Belief”), indicate their religious affiliation, etc.

When the so-called referendums on "the transition to the Ukrainian church" are held for a more convincing result, followers of the Kyiv Patriarchate question all the inhabitants of a locality. Usually a manipulative question as "Are you for the Ukrainian or the church" is set? First, it is clear that this question is incorrect, because its content is assumed negative for one option. If a person voted for the " ", then according to the logic of those who survey, they are "Moscals (pro-Russian), the 5th column, the enemy of ", etc. Secondly, returning to the terminology, is it correct to question all residents of a locality, without exceptions?

If a person is considered a member of the Orthodox religious community, they need to practice and profess Orthodoxy. So, before asking them to change the religious affiliation, they should be questioned how often they go to church and if they know by heart "The Symbol of Belief". If the answers to these two questions are "at Easter and at Christmas" and" Well, I do not know ...," then this person has no right to participate in a survey on such a subject, because he/she is not a member of a religious community by definition.

In addition to this, there can be village residents who do not believe in God, but are, for example, obsessed with politics and believe that the " " should not be in . Therefore, these people will also vote for the change in religious affiliation. So, it is obvious that to survey the whole village or town is incorrect.

Besides, the term "religious community" is defined in the statutes of the UOC and the UOC-KP as "parishioners." The UOC statute goes: "Parishioners are persons of Orthodox faith that keep vital connection with their parish. Every parishioner is obliged to regularly participate in worship, confession and communion, follow church canons and regulations, create works of faith and strive for spiritual and moral perfection. Parishioners are required to financially maintain the clergy, the church and parish institutions and contribute to their improvement. "

According to the UOC-KP statute, "The parishioners of the Orthodox religion are laymen who regularly participate in the liturgical life of the parish and have a live connection with the church. Every parishioner is obliged to participate in worship, to regularly make a confession and a holy communion, to keep canons and ecclesiastical statutes, to accomplish works of faith, to try to grow spiritually and to promote the welfare of the parish. The duty of the congregation is material support of the church and the clergy. "

The logical question is: “Among voters at the so-called referendums are there at least 40% of those who meet the requirements of "parishioner"? Clearly, not! The vast majority of respondents are only indirectly relevant to the parish, and so - to the church. Therefore, these people have no right to participate in such "referendums".

How should similar processes be held theoretically? Each parish, which is registered as a "religious community" has its own statute, which among other things sets who is the head of the community, what are representative bodies in the community, what is a "parish meeting", etc. In short, the head of any Orthodox community is its superior. It is also recorded in the state register. There are also "Twenty", that is a group of people elected at a parish meeting. They are a kind of deputies who should represent the community and solve certain urgent issues.

Of course, since the issue of changing the religious affiliation is extremely important, it must be agreed solely at a parish meeting and within a religious community, i.e. people who, according to the legal definition and statute, are actively and directly involved in the life of the parish. Of course, this process and the outcomes of the vote must be recorded in the minutes of the parish meeting and signed by all members of the community. Other statutory procedures must be conformed too. Such meetings are summoned either by the head of the religious community – the senior – or the parish representatives - "Twenty." The latter are also elected at a parish meeting by voting.

It seems that the scenario described above is the most optimal, since the so-called referendum can only give a quantitative result for the UOC-KP. Does the parish increase in quality? As practice shows in "newly-seized" churches, the number of parishioners diminishes. And then, even such a contradictory process should be formalized. The one, who conducts the survey, should be formally delegated, at least. Imagine what it would be like if every third resident of the village, every two years, decided to hold a referendum on the transfer of the house to any other religious groups? Indeed, experience has proven that the most important thing is to formulate questions correctly - and an Orthodox community could easily become a Protestant one.

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