Religion and Human Rights : The Case of Ukraine

Abstract

After the collapse of Communism a good majority of post-Soviet societies perceived Churches as a ‘natural’ defender of human rights and human dignity. Opinion polls suggest that Ukrainians considered Churches as a bulwark of ‘poor and hapless’. Gradually, in a complicated and nonlinear manner, the Churches and religious organizations of Ukraine succeeded in forming their own human rights agenda. They addressed the faithful and the whole society with issues on human dignity, rights and duties of citizens, civil society, and numerous urgent domestic, international, social and moral issues. Churches in Ukraine put forward valuable civil initiatives, stand for political freedom and justice for all, and loudly expressed their support for political prisoners. Ukrainian Churches and religious organizations have played a significant role on the Ukrainian EuroMaidan during the winter 2013/2014. Prayer and worship on Maidan legitimized the protests. Thus, despite Church hierarchies consider it not only possible but also necessary to restrict human rights when these rights transcend doctrinal dictation and devotional duty, Churches and religious organizations have been the efficient agents of democratic transformation and prominent actors of civil society, whose contribution to the process of promoting human rights and liberties is really hard to overestimate