DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF UKRAINIAN CHURCHES: CASE STUDIES OF THE UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47054/Keywords:
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, digital presence, online religion, online-ChurchAbstract
The paper explores the phenomenon of the digital presence of Ukrainian churches
between 2014 and 2025, focusing on two major denominations – the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church (UGCC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Following the Revolution of Dignity,
the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, religious
organizations in Ukraine have actively entered the online space, utilizing social media, streaming
platforms, mobile applications, and other digital tools to communicate with believers. This digital
transition has profoundly reshaped how religious services are delivered and has become a crucial
means of maintaining spiritual support during times of crisis. The study is based on the analysis of
official church documents, digital platforms, and media resources of the UGCC and OCU, as well
as on scholarly literature concerning digital religion and media communication. Additionally, the
paper also analyzes the legal aspects of this digital presence, including the regulation of religious
content on the Internet, compliance with data protection legislation, copyright issues, and the
protection of freedom of conscience in the digital environment. The research also addresses the
problem of fake religious resources and disinformation, which have become serious concerns in
contemporary Ukrainian society.
References
Campbell, H. (Ed.). (2013). Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in new media worlds. New
York, NY: Routledge.
Congregation for the Clergy. (2020). The pastoral conversion of the parish community in the service
of the evangelizing mission of the Church. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved from:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/07/20/200720a.html
Facebook. Fr. Andriia Zelinskii. Retrieved from: URL:https://www.facebook.com/andriy.zelinskyy, Accessed
on: 03.09.2025.
Hjarvard, S. (2016). The mediatization of religion: A theory of the media as agents of religious change.
Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 6 (1), 9-26. https://doi.org/10.1386/nl.6.1.9_1
Hoover, S. (2006). Religion in the media age. New York: Routledg.
Joint telethon #Uatogether (online) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnrp2S2L6qk, Accessed on:
23.08.2025.
Religious dialogue and cooperation 8 (2026), pp. 87–96
95
Волік, Н. (2025). Церква в епоху цифрових технологій: досвід УГКЦ (The Church in the Age of
Digital Technologies: The Experience of the UGCC). Збірник праць. Т. 14: Богословські студії /
Тернопільський осередок Наукового товариства ім. Шевченка / відп. ред. М. Андрейчин, ред.
тому о. Андрій Говера. Тернопіль: Підручники і посібники, 140–147.
Горкуша О., Филипович Л. (2014). Народжена на Майдані – Громадянська Церква України
(Народжена на Майдані – Громадянська Церква України). Retrieved from: https://risu.ua/
narodzhena-na-maydani-gromadyanska-cerkva-ukrajini_n68796 , Accessed on: 20.09.2025.
Два місяці героїчного протистояння українців… (Two months of heroic resistance by Ukrainians…)
(2022) https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FNMsbneDE/, Accessed on: 23.08.2025.
ДивенСвіт (WonderWorld). Retrieved from: https://dyvensvit.org/ Accessed on: 23.08.2025
Документи Другого Ватиканського Собору (Documents of the Second Vatican Council) (2014). Lviv
“Cvichado”. 606 p.
Живе телебачення УГКЦ (Live TV UGCC). Retrieved from: https://zhyve.tv Accessed on: 20.09.2025.
Інструкція про присутність церковних структур, інституцій, духовенства, богопосвячених осіб
УГКЦ у мережі «Інтернет» (Instructions on the presence of church structures, institutions, clergy,
and consecrated persons of the UGCC on the Internet). (2020). Retrieved from: https://docs.ugcc.
ua/1466, Accessed on: 03.08.2025.
Компендіум Католицької Церкви (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church) (2008). Retrieved
from: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/
rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_uk.pdf
Молитва в Софії Київській під час війни (Prayer in Saint Sophia of Kyiv during the war) (2022). Retrieved
from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhGvFAkXtZY Accessed on: 23.08.2025.
Офіційний сайт ПЦУ (Official website of the OCU). Retrieved from: https://www.pomisna.info/uk/
Accessed on: 18.09.2025.
Офіційний сайт УГКЦ (Official website of the UGCC). Retrieved from: http://ugcc.ua/ Accessed on:
18.09.2025.
Положення про Патріаршу раду соціальної комунікації УГКЦ (Regulations on the Patriarchal Council
for Social Communication of the UGCC) (2019). Retrieved from: https://docs.ugcc.ua/900/, Accessed
on: 20.09.2025.
Православна Церква України запустила власний мобільний застосунок „Моя Церква“ (The Orthodox
Church of Ukraine launched its own mobile app for relationships „My Church“) (2021). Retrieved
from: https://www.pomisna.info/uk/vsi-novyny/pravoslavna-tserkva-ukrayiny-zapustylavlasnyj-
mobilnyj-zastosunok-moya-tserkva/ Accessed on: 23.08.2025.
Савва, І. (2021). Господь відповідає на євхаристійну молитву дистанційно на кожній літургії
(The Lord answers the Eucharistic prayer remotely at every liturgy). Феномен онлайн-причастя.
Рефлексії. Полеміка. Перспективи. Київ, С. 18-22.
Соколов, Б. (2025). Томос як символ національної незалежності (Tomos as a symbol of national
independence). Retrieved from: https://day.kyiv.ua/article/den-planety/tomos-yak-symvol-natsionalnoyi-
nezalezhnosti, Accessed on: 20.09.2025.
УПЦ (МП): немає підстав для визнання Вселенським Патріархом іншої української Церкви (UOC
(MP): There are no grounds for recognizing another Ukrainian Church as the Ecumenical Patriarch)
(2018). Retrieved from: https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news/29172964.html , Accessed
on: 23.08.2025.
Religious dialogue and cooperation 8 (2026), pp. 87–96
Феномен онлайн-причастя. Рефлексії. Полеміка. Перспективи (The phenomenon of online communion.
Reflections. Controversy. Perspectives) (2021) / за ред.Д. Горєвого, Т. Деркач. Київ, 168
с.
Чому ми боїмося числа 666? (Why are we afraid of the number 666?) (2021). Retrieved from: https://
hromadske.radio/podcasts/feykotron/chomu-my-boimosia-chysla-666 Accessed on: 23.08.2025.
Шубарт П. (2013). Неминуча чипізація: погляд Біблії (The Inevitable Chipization: The Bible›s View).
Retrieved from: https://chornomorka.com/archive/21442/a-2867 Accessed on: 20.09.2025.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nadiia Volik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
