www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Patriarch Lubomyr Moves to Kyiv

Dear Friends,

Actually, St Volodymyr is referred to by old Vatican documents as "Rex Ruthenorum."

His empire was FIVE times that of the Byzantine empire and it was the Greek historiographers that refer to him as "Kniaz" or "Prince."

Old icons refer to him as "Tsar."

When he went to Korsun to meet the Byzantines, he did so as a warrior chief who did NOT recognize the overlordship of the Byzantine Emperor over himself.

He deliberately took the name "Basilios" in baptism which means, of course, "king" or "sovereign."

This was Greek, not Muscovite, propaganda, calling him "Prince."

And it would be good if the Ukrainians themselves began calling him "king" and stopped repeating the propaganda they themselves decry.

Alex

Dear Alex:

Forgive us who hold the view of an "empire" as something that encompasses two or more kingdoms or two or more nations with a recognized single supreme authority.

The likes of the "empire" fashioned out by Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire during the Caesars, and, most recently, the British Empire!

Amado

Dear Amado,

Actually, Volodymyr could legitimately be called an "Emperor" given the various peoples he had (some by force) united into a single entity.

(When did I call him an "Emperor" by the way?)

The fact that he was sovereign over such a disparate religious/cultural group also led him to seek a new state religion from the outside.

And your definition of "empire" is a modern one - the former sovereigns of both Vietnam and Korea called themselves emperors - the noncommunist flags of both were/are flags of their former empires.

You are using the definition you are because of the Philippines former imperial link with Spain?

Alex

Patriarch Lubomyr and his entourage have left L'viv by automobile on their decisive journey to Kyiv. If they should meet the reception afforded to Saint Josaphat in Polotsky, well, we shall have some new heavenly intercessors.

Incognitus

[This has nothing to do with Emperors or with the Philippine Islands.]

In the press release from the Office of Cardianl Husar.It was noted that Pope JPII had approved of the move from Lviv to Kiev.So that explains the silence from Rome of late.they knew they wouldn't be interfering.They just didn't want to tell the Russian Orthodox that.