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Dear Jennifer,

If you are suggesting that I don't always exercise the best of choice of words - I would have to agree with you!

For example, the changes of the Novus Ordo in the Latin Church - that had no impact on our churches at all (except for the influx of RC's wishing to attend our liturgies instead).

As for the abuse issue, there isn't anything quite like it in terms of similar scope in our Churches.

When our patriarch, His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar, visited us a couple of years ago, I know that he was asked by the RC cardinal here not to mention anything about the RC abuse scandals or to make any comparison with the EC churches.

He did, however, say that our church has cases of abuse (but added, "although not anywhere near . . .")

The idea that we have nothing to do with the Latin Church on certain issues is also reinforced when our priests make it a point, during sermons, for example, to say "Well, in the Latin Church they do . . . but in our Church, we do . . ."

Our old pastor, Fr. B. Lypsky used to say "the RC and EC Churches share a common faith, to be sure - but in every other way, they are completely different, ritually, theologicall, canonically etc."

When Rome declares certain feast-days, such as Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, Divine Mercy Sunday - again, those have nothing to do with us and we don't have those feasts in our calendar, unless this or that EC Church decides to include it (ie. Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church).

Alex

"Completely different" is quite 'different' from "nothing whatever to do with."

I suppose I'm somehat skeptical that the ECCs have less incidence of sexual abuse than the RCC.

Dear Jennifer,

Well, I suppose it would depend on the issue itself.

There are feasts, practices and other things the RCC does that have nothing to do with the East and are completely ignored by the EC Churches.

So far, Rome hasn't excommunicated us (or the Ruthenians for including the feast of St Photios the Great, Defender and Pillar of Orthodoxy etc. ).

The issue of whether celibacy badly lived (i.e. not in the spirit of asceticism, self-abnegation and dedication to Christ and His Church) leads to abuse is something that is up for discussion.

I agree that it would be wrong to jump to conclusions in this regard merely because the East has married clergy etc.

The RC Church has been hit badly in North America with the abuse scandals, allegations etc.

I'm sure the press and others have an agenda of their own in the way they report these etc.

Again, I don't know.

Alex

Dan and All,

Happy New Year!!

Even if Michel Sabbah is a shmuck (I make no judgement about him). The Holy Father can't bat a 1000 when selecting bishops.

Jesus chose Judas as an apostle you know.

Paul

Dear Friends,

We should also consider that it has become quite "politically correct" to bash Israel over the Palestinian issue.

I don't know how your journalists do business in your Republic, but up here, Israel is usually portrayed as the bad guy, even when Jews die as the result of suicide bombers et al.

The suggestion is implicit "what else can the Palestinians do" but get their children to strap on those explosives . . .

What this churchman is supporting is immoral.

But so is what his own people are doing is as well.

He reflects that in more ways than one.

Alex

Professor Alex,

Maybe Canada would like to donate Quebec to either the Jews or the Palestinians.

Dan L

Dear Professor Dan,

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim!

I thought the Palestinians already had it!

Salaam Alekum!

Alex

Neil, Alex, and Others,

I am not supporting His Beatitude's actions. Regardless of D'Hippolito's article, I have long since tired of the Patriarch's antics and policies (and this coming from a supporter of the Palestinian cause...but not the extent of killing and suicide).

It boggles the mind that one would refuse any relation to a patriarch with whom your Church is in communion. I'll say it again: WE'RE ALL CATHOLICS AND SHARE THE SAME FAITH, regardless of what anyone "feels." As a Roman Catholic, I naturally consider members of the other sui iuris Churches to be part of my Church (the Catholic Church) as well, or at least the Catholic Communion, if one chooses to term it as such.

Logos Teen

Dear Teen Logo,

No, I didn't suppose you were a supporter of terrorism after all . . .

Our Eastern ecclesiology is a bit different from yours in that we see the "Church" as a communion of Particular and local Churches, a kind of holistic perspective based on the Eucharist (the whole of Christ is present in the smallest particle).

So when an RC sees the "Church," he or she sees a universal parish, so to speak, within various cultural contexts and with the Pope as its ultimate bishop.

When we see the "Church," we see self-governing Particular Churches each with their own head that are in Eucharistic communion with one another and each differentiated in various ways from one another.

That's as brilliant as you're going to get out of me today . . .

Alex

Dear Alex:

XP!

I'm not so sure. Remeber that there is an EXTREMELY powerful Jewish lobby here in the 'States, as well as a media presence. At best, one will get coverage here that is neutral.

That having been said, the issue is simple. No Christian leaders, regardless of communion, should support in any way, shape or form violent methods of achieving policital goals.

Yours,

hal

Dear Hal,

So the U.S. should get out of Iraq ASAP then!

Or does what your army do over there not considered "violent?"

Orange scarves probably won't work against the terrorists!

As for the strong pro-Israel lobby in the U.S., the Ukies should take notes!

Alex

Dear Alex:

Let me play a little devil's advocate here:

Basically, your argument pre-supposes that self-defense is a "political goal." I'm not sure it is.

Can self-defense have a political sub-plot of removing a government that supports terrorism from power? Sure.

Still, regime change just becasue we don't like someone who is in power in another country is not a reason to go to war. I personally think the Church's reservations about the actions of the US government in the case of Iraq were justified.

As for your "orange scarf" argument - the Orange Revolution was primarily an internal matter. Did we ourselves hold rallies here. Yep. Did our governments refuse to recognize the fraudulent results? Absolutely.

Still, would the US and Canada have gone to War had Yanukovich been installed as President of Ukraine. Nope.

Finally, I wholeheartedly agree that the Ukes should take their cue from the American Jewish lobby.

Yours,

hal

Dear Hal,

Your argument SEEMS to pre-suppose that Iraq is about self-defence alone - and is without any political goals.

Am I correct?

If so, you are not!

The perception of much of the world that is rejecting American claims about the war in Iraq (and your own people have come forward to say they don't exactly know what the justification for Iraq's invasion was and the evidence for weapons of mass destruction simply wasn't there) is that the U.S. have overt political goals there.

Again, I don't work for the State Department so I don't really know.

Had Yanukovich won the election in Ukraine amidst evidence of wide-spread corruption yet again, there would have been no war.

But the pressure the West exerted on Russia and Ukraine's current government had the same effect as a threat of military intervention would have (probably more).

The U.S. certainly does have a political goal or set of goals for Iraq and that area that are beyond "self-defence" (please, are you serious, Counselor?)

If anything, the U.S. foreign strategy in Iraq has really screwed up and there is more of a reaction against the U.S. now in the world than ever there was before.

The U.S. just doesn't seem to know what it's doing when it travels abroad in tanks and planes.

And that is because, I'll repeat, the American mainstream culture thinks that it is above "cultural" parochialism and "ethnic issues."

One can see that Americanist view in discussions here about EC "ethnicity."

America should be promoting cultural knowledge and training and not watering it down within the context of a mainstream cosmopolitanism.

Your church, for example, should be working directly for the U.S. government to let it know how a strong religious-cultural community really ticks!

Happy Old Calendar Childermas Day,

Alex

Alex:

Ospokijtesia, bud' laska.

I disagree with nothing that you say.

Kindly note my prefacing my comments with playing "devil's advocate."

Yes, I think the War in Iraq is wrong.

Yes, I think my government had much more than self-defense on the agenda by removing Sadaam from power.

Yes, I think that this is about oil.

Yes, I think this is about junior avenging a plot to kill daddy.

Yes, I think America and Americans are geo-politically naiive in thinking that everyone thinks like us.

Yes, I think the whole "melting pot" thing here at home (and calls for us to abandon jurisdictional ties to Kyiv/Lviv that stem from it) are misguided.

Yes, I think the exportation of US culture to the world as something inherently superior to everything else is arrogance in the Supreme.

Can we get back to the topic now, please?

Z poshanoju:

hal

Dear Hal,

As long as you agree with me, everything is just peachy, as they say down in Georgia!

Z poshanuju yourself,

Vash,

Olesh