www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News ROC not happy about GC Exarchate

Dear Friends,

The Russian Orthodox Church has demanded an explanation from the Vatican regarding the issues of Catholic proselytism in Russia, especially in the wake of the setting up of a Greek-Catholic Exarchate there.

And when representatives of the ROC and RC churches visited an RC institution that looks after children, the Orthodox reps were shocked to see the Orthodox children being taken to Catholic services and otherwise being immersed in "Catholic culture."

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/cgi-bin/news.cgi?item=2r040924103632

Alex

Not happy, huh?

That is........ too bad.


Shalom,
Memo.

Interesting. If it is a Catholic institution/ school, what kind of services and culture did they expect them to have?

People of Greek Orthodox background have been sending their children to Roman Catholic elementary schools, high schools and universities for decades in this country, and other than not receiving Holy Communion, I have never heard of any one not attending or not allowing their child to attend a school Mass! Nor have I ever heard a single individual convert from Greek Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism based solely on the premise that they attended Masses and partook of Roman Catholic culture in school.

Infact, at my daughter's RC High School, two of her school mates were the granddaughters of a Greek Orthodox priest! Apparently Father and the celebrating visiting RC priest had a good social relationship, and the RC priest once joked to my husband and myself, "boy, you Greek Orthodox really like our Catholic schools!"

Getting back to the topic, I love Russian culture and Russian Orthodoxy, and appreciate its spirituality as a unique spirituality of Orthodoxy which is to be held in high esteem. I do pray that one day Russia will once again be 'Holy Russia' instead of the modern, materialistic, secular place it is evolving into, following the example of all the rest of us.

However, given the choice between having an orphan linger in a state orphanage, or be in a religious RC institution, or of leaving my child in an a state day care situation or an RC day care situation, I would definitely take the latter in both cases.

I just don't see what all the fuss is about. The MP really shouldn't be so threatened. Most Russians are rediscovering their Orthodox patrimonial identity with great love and zeal. Now those Jehovah's Witnesses and others DO pose a problem. He should concentrate and focus his energies on them, and make peace with the Roman Catholics.

In Christ,
Alice

Does anyone please have any details of English language internet sites on the resetablishment of the Exarchate in Russia.

I have seen references to this momentus occasion on this site but cant get any official details of the revived Exarchate of Russia anywhere.

Pavel, the best source of news on the Exarchate is through St. Michael's parish site, http://stmichaelruscath.org They usually have their fingers on the pulse of the Russian Catholic Church worldwide.

Your Russian Catholic priest Fr. Lawrence Cross in Melbourne can also give you the latest info.

I think Fr. Sergei Golovanov would make a fine Exarch.

If this kind of foolishness is going to start than we should start the same questioning of exarchates in traditional RC areas such as Paris, Spain, Portugal, South America, etc. etc. etc.

Alice,

I agree. Back in my days of attendance at parochial elementary school (which was truly decades ago :rolleyes: ), I was friends with two classmates (and had a terrible crush on one of them, back in 4th grade ), one Greek Orthodox, the other Russian Orthodox; they were my first introduction to the fact that there were such folks as you . Other than that they did "silent reading" or somesuch during religion class and didn't receive Holy Communion at Mass, they fully participated in the life of the class and school and were none the worse for being there. The mother of my GO classmate once told my mother that, lacking a Greek school, there was no place that she felt her daughter would receive a better, more respectful education than with the Sisters.

Pavel,

I have seen no English language reports on this, although I've been monitoring RISU [risu.org.ua] , the UGCC [ugcc.org.ua] , and Stetson [helmet.stetson.edu] , as well as the Vatican Information Service [vatican.va] , Zenit [zenit.org] , L\'Osservatore Romano [vatican.va] , and the websites of the Russian GC parishes, especially St. Michael\'s [stmichaelruscath.org] .

St. Michael's now has posted the Minutes of the Clerical Congress of the Russian Catholic Church, Aug. 23-25, 2004 [stmichaelruscath.org] and Letter from the Russian Byzantine Exarchate to Holy Father John Paul II [stmichaelruscath.org] and a document entitled Byzantine-Rite Catholics in Russia: An Assessment of the Present Situation [stmichaelruscath.org] , which appears to be dated a few days prior to the Synod and was likely presented at it. Unfortunately, all of these are in Russian.

The Synod elected Father Sergei Golovanov as Administrator of the Exarchate and, as reported by Deacon Peter in the thread Russian Greek Catholics Celebrate Their Synod , sent letters to that effect to the Pope and the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation. That they did so is no indication that the Holy See will acknowledge his election; unfortunately, the MP's concerns may well be much ado about nothing. The Holy See has permitted the Exarchate to languish, extant, but sede vacante, since the repose of Blessed Exarch Leonid in 1935. That it will make any changes in that regard in the near future, given its current habit of walking on eggshells in the presence of the MP, sadly seems most unlikely.

Many years,

Neil

Pavel, given a church the size of the Ukrainian Catholic Church can't get Cardinal Husar confirmed Patriarch by Rome, after a unanimous vote of the synod, the chances of Rome confirming the acta of the Russian Catholic Synod recommending Fr. Sergei Golovanov are slim indeed with the ostpolitik gyrations of Kasper and company.

But we are not giving up.

From the Interfax website

There's a man who doesn't let facts get in the way of his thoughts or words :rolleyes:

Except for his statement that it "will be studied more thoroughly at a higher level" - I'm sure that is true regards the level, what I'm unsure of is how much study it will get.

Wonder what he considers to be "This problem" - that there is no Exarch or that someone had the temerity to want one :rolleyes: ?

Many years,

Neil, ever prayerful that his Russian brothers and sisters may yet have their own hierarchy.

I think the basic problem is that the ROC is not happy that Greek Catholics exist.

I join you in this!!

Sadly, I think so.

If they do not receive their own bishops soon, I say the reconstituted K'yivan Patriarchate should undertake the responsibility appointing and consecrating them. That should stir up the nest.

Nil Carius Christo!
Michael

Very well put, Diak. Bravo.

Yours,

hal

Dear Hal,

Yes, I agree too.

But the MAIN problem is our own Ukrainian Catholic people.

They couldn't unite as one if their very lives depended on it (I'm not talking about your parish, it is an exception to the rule).

I saw what happened in the Toronto Eparchy over the Vladyka Isidore situation.

I wasn't disgusted with Rome, I was disgusted with the LACK OF UKRAINIAN BACKBONE.

When our people develop a UKRAINIAN BACKBONE and even, dare I dream, REAL UKRAINIAN UNITY, then perhaps Rome and others will respect us enough to acknowledge what already exists for us despite the lack of the above two qualities - a Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchate.

Let's remember Taras Shevchenko's poem, "Velykyj Lokh."

Up until the time he wrote that poem, our bard was attacking others for the enslavement of the Ukrainian people.

But in that poem (that I once memorized in full and recited before a packed Ukrainian hall), Shevchenko goes after the Ukrainian "Yanichary" and how they themselves are to blame for their people's fate since they went along with their people's enemies.

And that scene is repeated each and every time Ukrainians refuse to unite and stand up for their rights (rites?).

Anyway, have a great day . . .

Alex

Dear Alex:

There's an old "Hrytz Zozula" bit about the folly of the artificial divisions among us Ukes that were formed here in North America - it's the one about the daughter who winds up marrying outside the community becasue her father did not any of her Ukrainian boyfriends because they were all from the wrong "partiya."

Certainly unity of thought among our people and our Churches is something that is desparately needed, but lacking. Some proverbial backbone wouldn't hurt, either.

In short, I disagree with nothing of what you say.

However, should we simply "circle the wagons" when the Roman Curia and Moscow Patriarchate consipre to eradicate the UGCC as an institution?

I say no. Let First Rome and Third Rome be exposed for the ecclesiastical imperialists that they are.

Yours,

hal

Dear Hal,

That is fine . . .

But there are Ukie Catholics who are more "papal than the Pope" as you know.

They'll be the FIRST ones to shoot at our backs in the circle of wagons as we're trying to "head 'em off at the pass."

Alex