Greek Catholic Majority in Ukraine and Belorussia: Is It Possible?

[MarshalBraginsky]

Ukraine today has three different Orthodox Churches: two of which are bound to a Patriarchate (Moscow and Kiev/Kyiv) and the other is an Autocephalous Church. At the same time, it has the Greek Catholic Church, which arose from the Union of Brest, but today the Ukrainian Greek Catholics only make up 14% of Ukraine's population that belong to that church.

So with a PoD around the Union of Brest, is it possible that OTL Ukraine (and to a lesser extent, Byelorussia) have a Greek Catholic majority of the population? Realistically, around 45% of the population that are Uniates while the Orthodox population would be smaller. I'm not sure if a stronger Jesuit presence in Ukraine would help, or a much bigger incentive for the Ruthenian nobility to convert (seeing as Uniates have been persecuted for a while).

 

[Valena]

Ukraine today has three different Orthodox Churches: two of which are bound to a Patriarchate (Moscow and Kiev/Kyiv) and the other is an Autocephalous Church. At the same time, it has the Greek Catholic Church, which arose from the Union of Brest, but today the Ukrainian Greek Catholics only make up 14% of Ukraine's population that belong to that church.

So with a PoD around the Union of Brest, is it possible that OTL Ukraine (and to a lesser extent, Byelorussia) have a Greek Catholic majority of the population? Realistically, around 45% of the population that are Uniates while the Orthodox population would be smaller. I'm not sure if a stronger Jesuit presence in Ukraine would help, or a much bigger incentive for the Ruthenian nobility to convert (seeing as Uniates have been persecuted for a while).

Wladyslaw IV having less Catholic-fanatic successor might help, as he prepared a "Patch 2.0" for Brest Union, making it more compatible to Orthodox (namely the introduction of "Latin Patriarch" who is nominal head of the Greek Catholic Church but a Cardinal in the Rome among other things).
Also, while it might sound shocking for those who remember Russian retribution in 19th century, in its early stage Brest Union was enforced - using armed troops and destruction of Orthodox icons among other things. Uniates were persecuted, but in early 1600'ies (reign of Sigismund III) they were the ones doing persecution. Reaction (more like overreaction) followed.

 

[Intosh]

Ukraine today has three different Orthodox Churches: two of which are bound to a Patriarchate (Moscow and Kiev/Kyiv) and the other is an Autocephalous Church. At the same time, it has the Greek Catholic Church, which arose from the Union of Brest, but today the Ukrainian Greek Catholics only make up 14% of Ukraine's population that belong to that church.

So with a PoD around the Union of Brest, is it possible that OTL Ukraine (and to a lesser extent, Byelorussia) have a Greek Catholic majority of the population? Realistically, around 45% of the population that are Uniates while the Orthodox population would be smaller. I'm not sure if a stronger Jesuit presence in Ukraine would help, or a much bigger incentive for the Ruthenian nobility to convert (seeing as Uniates have been persecuted for a while).

Your POD should be many years after the Union of Brest, and is about the survival of the Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth who was the main sponsor of the Greek Catholic Church. This POD can include a Habsbourg rule on the Commonwealth so no partitions, or more territories during the partitions for the Austrians including a larger part of western Ukraine.

After the Partitions of Poland, but mostly after 1830's Uprising, the Greek Catholic Church was persecuted and erased from the map by the tsarist Russia in the territories it annexed and occupied so entire White Russia and most of Ukraine. This Church only survived in eastern Galicia and the territories annexed and occupied by the Austrians.

In the Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth, if the Ruthenian nobility convert, it convert mostly to Latin Catholicism rather than Greek Catholicism. Greek catholicism seems to be reserved to the peasant class in serfdom.

 

[MarshalBraginsky]

Your POD should be many years after the Union of Brest, and is about the survival of the Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth who was the main sponsor of the Greek Catholic Church. This POD can include a Habsbourg rule on the Commonwealth so no partitions, or more territories during the partitions for the Austrians including a larger part of western Ukraine.

After the Partitions of Poland, but mostly after 1830's Uprising, the Greek Catholic Church was persecuted and erased from the map by the tsarist Russia in the territories it annexed and occupied so entire White Russia and most of Ukraine. This Church only survived in eastern Galicia and the territories annexed and occupied by the Austrians.

In the Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth, if the Ruthenian nobility convert, it convert mostly to Latin Catholicism rather than Greek Catholicism. Greek catholicism seems to be reserved to the peasant class in serfdom.

A Habsburg monarch in the PLC would also be in the cards though.

 

[MarshalBraginsky]

So what would the cultural effects of a Uniate majority in Ukraine and Belorussia on those two countries and would it completely sever their cultural ties to Russia?