Securitizing Religion amid the Russo-Ukrainian War
Schedule
Tue Mar 17 2026 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm
UTC-07:00Location
St. Mark's College at UBC | Vancouver, BC
About this Event
Rusia's war on Ukraine, supported openly by the Russian Orthodox Church, has prompted the Ukrainian government to restrict Moscow's influence among Ukrainian Christians, many of whom belong to the Russian tradition. A recently adopted law, if enforced, could ban Russian-affiliated religios communities altogether. The Kremlin, in turn, insists that the fate of Russian Orthodoxy in Ukraine should be part of any eventual peace settlement. While the proposed ban is framed as a matter of national security, it has also sparked concerns about violations of religious freedom—raised not only by the United Nations and international human rights groups, but also by the Holy See and the World Council of Churches.
For the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, a minority long persecuted under Soviet rule and historically committed to defending religious freedom, this development poses a dilemma. On one hand, the Church supports the decolonization of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and acknowledges the threat Moscow poses to Ukrainian identity and nation-building. On the other, it remains wary of state measures that may establish troubling precedents for political intervention in religious life.
Is Ukraine’s proposed ban compatible with international human rights standards? Can religious freedom be reconciled with national security imperatives in times of war? Is religious endorsement of aggression itself protected as a form of religious expression? And what lessons can Ukraine draw from the West’s experience of securitizing religion in the aftermath of 9/11?
This lecture is co-hosted by the Dominican Institute of Toronto.
Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk specializes in political theology, religious nationalism, and Eastern Christianity. He is currently a visiting scholar at New York University’s Jordan Center. Before moving to New York, he held research and teaching positions at George Washington University in D.C., Princeton University, and Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. He studied philosophy and theology in Rome, Athens, and St. Petersburg, and holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford. Smytsnyuk is co-editor of (Routledge, 2025).
This event is free to the public, but if you wish to support the Centre for Christian Engagement, please and you can choose to apply your donation to the Centre by scrolling through the “fund” option. Thank you for your warm-hearted support for us and our events.
Where is it happening?
St. Mark's College at UBC, 5935 Iona Drive, Vancouver, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00
