Modern Ukrainian state-building processes are characterized by a broad advance of the theological thought of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, a dynamic, complex and multidimensional social teaching of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (Orthodox Church of Ukraine). Given the historically very short time of the revival and development of Ukrainian Orthodoxy after the collapse of the atheistic system of the USSR, these processes have not yet been sufficiently studied and analyzed in light of state management issues and the social thought of Christianity. At the same time, the intensive and diverse processes of Ukrainian church life stimulate scientific research into the essence of the state-building ideas of today’s outstanding church figure, the Hero of Ukraine, the Most Holy Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret Denysenko, who is celebrating his 95th birthday this year.
Studying this complex of contradictions undoubtedly arouses both scientific and specific practical interest. It has a specific purpose – reducing the severity of Ukrainian political processes and directing them to develop a truly democratic model of the relationship between the state-political regime and society. The relevance of the study of the history of Ukrainian Orthodoxy of the 21st century and the axiological factors of the state ideas of the church leaders is related to the fact that no political system and no society can develop generally without an integrated religious-moral and spiritual system of socio-political values. In the philosophy of public administration, the dominant role belongs to the ideas of philosophical and theological concepts, eschatological approaches, political and moral values that form the basis of the state’s and society’s spiritual and social development.
The goal of the social thought of Patriarch Filaret Denysenko was the deepening of democratic transformations, the comprehensive optimization and democratization of the political organization of society, the study of Ukrainian history, cultural traditions and religion, the formation of institutions of a developed civil society, the unconditional provision of the constitutional rights and freedoms of every person, the observance of spiritual biblical ideals of social justice, ensuring more active participation of Orthodox Christians in state administration. These are the general outlines of the Christian value system of social teaching of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which can ensure the success of reforming the state and political foundations of democratic Ukraine. According to the patriarch, democracy as the basis of state administration gains strength only when there is the primacy of eternal spiritual values, common spiritual interests, and fundamental values of Christianity.
The social doctrine of the church as a scientific direction of Christian theology, which studies the value bases of the functioning of society, arose relatively recently, only in the second half of the 20th century in the Catholic and Protestant world. However, the Christian church constantly turned to the examination and definition of fundamental spiritual values of the development of politics, state administration, and the formation of human culture, comprehending such concepts as “God”, “love”, “goodness”, absolute”, “beauty”, “eternity”, ” life”, “truth”, “justice”, “freedom”, “spirituality”, etc. As for the systematic consideration of the spiritual values of Christianity and modern society, as well as their relationship with political science, public administration, culture, and open politics, this problem remains insufficiently developed in Ukrainian public management thought.
The world of spiritual values, religion, theology, and mythology arises and forms in the process of spiritual and creative activity of man and society, which is one of the most essential elements of world culture. Man not only creates spiritual values depending on religion, science, political ideology and his own spiritual inner world, but he also constantly changes and implements value concepts in cultural-religious, political, economic, social and historical development. Consequently, scientific studies of Christian theology on politics and state administration become the subject of the social doctrine of Christianity, as well as political and public theology as part of modern science.
The war, political reforms, and economic transformations of Ukrainian society led to spiritual devastation, total hopelessness, depression, social stagnation and confusion among the majority of the population. That is why state managers, political scientists and theologians define as a priority task the filling of the value and spiritual vacuum in society, which involves a systematic study of the philosophy of state management, the history of Christian theology, the spiritual foundations of the political process, drawing the attention of scientists to the value problems of the development of the Ukrainian state, science, education and global humanity as a whole. A systematic, comprehensive study of the issues of state administration involves the development of a constructive dialogue of political science, philosophy, sociology, and Christian theology. Without solving the value problems of the development of Ukrainian society, it is impossible to prevent and overcome crisis phenomena in the life of Ukraine.
According to Patriarch Filaret Denysenko, the stability of the development of the political system of democratic Ukraine, the unity of the Ukrainian people, the strength of defense capability, will and freedom require the development and creation of a stable system of spiritual values of Christianity and social teachings of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. This, in turn, involves the definition of certain boundaries of the philosophy of state administration, historiosophy, fundamental spiritual values, spiritual ideas, and philosophical meanings around which the Ukrainian nation unites. No matter how developed and perfect the social doctrine of Christianity is in the Catholic and Protestant world, it must consider the historical, cultural, mystical, national and mental features of Ukrainian society.
The current situation that has developed in Ukraine, around the urgent issues of the army, mobilization, social justice, the future of the state, politics, culture and economy in particular, shows people’s disappointment, loss of faith, hope, fear of the future, social apathy, infantilism and reluctance to participate in the social and political life of society. According to the patriarch, the activity of the Ukrainian state should be more closely related to the activity of the Orthodox Church, which is actively developing its sacred mission already in the new conditions of politics, economy, culture and war.
All this makes it necessary to study the philosophy of public administration in the context of Christian belief. The complex conditions of our present, military challenges and economic impoverishment require the development of a state social and cultural policy in Ukraine intending to actively involve religious organizations in the formation of humanitarian and national policy, as well as the country’s development strategy. The value policy of the state cannot and should not be formed without relying on a scientifically based, socially tested system of Christian spiritual values and the social teachings of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
Research into the synergy of Christian theology and philosophy of state administration, religious ethics and political science, the social doctrine of Christianity, and the sociology of religion have just begun in the state administration and social thought of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, the disclosure of the spiritual-religious, state-building and national ideas of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret involves an attempt to follow the theological paths of modern Ukrainian Orthodoxy and a multifaceted scientific understanding of the eschatological Christian future of Ukraine, the processes of free thinking in the Christian world, freedom of speech, self-realization of the individual, democracy and valuable ideas of modern state-building.
The philosophical and religious problems of being, the national idea of Ukraine as the value and worldview horizon of the desired future of the Ukrainian people remained on the periphery of the attention of state leaders, political scientists and managers for a long time. Thus, with his life and archpastoral service, Patriarch Filaret Denysenko testified to the importance of embodying the spiritual and value ideas of the development of the Ukrainian state in the triangle of mutual relations and interaction between the church, the state and society.
In the history of Ukraine, the value system of the Orthodox Church shapes the character, spiritual ideas, aspirations of state policy and the very philosophy of state administration. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, strengthening the religious pluralism of Orthodox communities, renouncing religious radicalism, fanaticism, hatred, certain psychological peasantry, xenophobia, testifies to the entire global world about the true freedom of Christian thought, Orthodox conciliarness and impartial theological research of social geopolitical processes. Therefore, in our opinion, the problem of the development of democracy in Ukraine largely depends on the rooting of the spiritual values of Christianity in the public consciousness.
Modern scientific research requires scientific analysis and synthesis of modern theological, public administration, sociological, philosophical, political and psychological knowledge. Let us emphasize that His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, with an unchanging and clear civic-patriotic position, is concerned with the issues of Ukrainian national state-building, resorting to a professional substantive analysis of the world history of Christianity, the state-management practice of the formation of statehood, analyzing the current state of development of democratic Ukraine as an independent, legal and sovereign state. It is indisputable that Orthodox theology spiritualized Ukraine’s entire historical and cultural life.
Christianity determined the understanding of God’s system of the universe, general philosophical views on the world structure, the meaning of life, moral and ethical norms, politics, and culture. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church became important in the state-building and national-consolidating processes. That is why, when studying this topic, it is necessary to pay attention to the general laws and features of the formation and development of political ideas in the light of Christian social thought.
Even in the days of Kyivan Rus, the existence of a certain conditional original philosophy of state administration is justified by the fact that this religious philosophy of the princes, church hierarchs, and chroniclers of Kyivan Rus is imbued with the theological ideas of Christianity. Everything created in Kyivan Rus in state building, as well as philosophical and sociological thought, deserves attention as an indicator of the high development of ancient Rus Christian culture.
The social teaching of Ukrainian Orthodoxy helps theoretically justify the adoption of effective and socially acceptable state-management decisions and adjust the church’s goals and mission in dialogue with the state. The cultural-historical, religious-moral, spiritual-philosophical, and socio-political mission of the Orthodox Church is to overcome the crisis, spontaneous, irrational, and inhuman nature of Ukraine’s modern stage of social development.
A humanistic, verified, self-aware, harmonious and controlled humanitarian and social policy of the state largely depends on the social opinion of the church and its moral imperatives. When dealing with internal and external methods of organizing scientific research in the “Public Administration” field, scientists should focus on the meaningful architecture and spiritual core of public administration.
The state-building ideas of Christianity can be successful only if they are based on the ideas of Ukraine’s universality, public trust, solidarity, religious pluralism, and the development of the social mission of Ukrainian Christian churches. This, in turn, involves overcoming the gap between the theory of the philosophy of the state, which is catastrophic for Ukraine’s management, and the real practice of political life.
The existence of a connection between the religious, cultural, and historical heritage of Ukrainian religious thinkers of the past and the scientific and practical tasks facing the political, managerial, and scientific elite of Ukraine today is evidenced by the correlation of the raised problems with the spiritual tasks outlined in sermons, spiritual conversations, addresses, messages, and reports of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret Denysenko.