Bless, Father Deacon!
In fact, the Ukie Church today acts as if it is already a patriarchate (the upstarts!).
What is happening though, and I've seen it with my own eyes, is that when the Synod appoints a bishop (in this case, our own Vladyka Stephen), Rome takes its time approving it, as it to show "Not so fast, upstarts! We'll show you Slavic "kabanie" who is boss here!"
(Or, in Polish, "Psiakref Rusinie!"
)
Major Archbishop - shamajor archbishop - the papal nuncio took extra pains at the consecration of our new Vladyka to underscore that it was HE and HE ALONE that is charged with the responbility to appoint new bishops for us.
With a patriarchate, we'll be united because even our Basilianist Catholics will acknowledge it, we can continue to appoint our own bishops etc. and inform Rome after the fact and otherwise take fuller control of what is already ours.
His Beatitude Lubomyr also did something by way of flexing his patriarchal muscles when, following the translation of the Relics of the Holy Hieromartyr Nicholas Charnetsky, he appointed a feast-day for it - something that is usually, in our Church, reserved to Rome.
Even when we have our patriarchate, the struggle would continue for the direct authority of the patriarch over the diaspora without Rome's encroachments, and even for the ancient right to canonize our own saints!
Perhaps our future patriarch will canonize saints for the Ruthenian Church too, if it would like.
And with all the children you have, Father Deacon, you would definitely qualify for the "martyr" level
Alex
