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Here in Mineapolis MN we have a new priest Fr. Ihar and his wife xenia. Both he and his wife are from Belarus, and moved here about a year ago. He was ordained by Bishop John after moving here. Fr. said that he was not able to be ordained in Belarus because Rome refuses to send a Bishop to the Greek Catholics in Belarus. My question is: Why would Rome not want to send a Bishop to the Greek Catholics in Belarus?

Jesse Venner

The same reason they won't send a Greek Catholic bishop to Russia, they don't want to upset Patriarch of Moscow.

Jesse,

The Apostolic Exarchate for Belarusian Greek-Catholics has been vacant since WWII, when the Church was civilly suppressed under Communist rule. The Church�s last hierarch, Bishop Vladimir Tarasevitch, OSB, of blessed memory, reposed in exile. The Church's rights were restored in 1989 but, to date, the See has not been reconstituted, to the shame of the Vatican.

The prelates delegated responsibility (but not jurisdiction) for the Church at present are: Right Reverend Mitred Archimandrite Sergius Gajek, MIC, Apostolic Visitator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis for Greek-Catholics in Belarus; and, Right Reverend Mitred Archpriest Alexander Nadson, Apostolic Visitator for Belarusan Greek-Catholics Outside Belarus, who is in London. I believe that some ordinations for the Belarusans have been performed by UGCC hierarchs.

I agree with Deacon Lance as to why this situation is allowed to continue. Prayers for our Belarusan brethren.

May God grant Father Ihar and Matushka Xenia many years in His service.

Many years,

Neil

Ask Cardinal Kasper. He should have an interesting response.

And they're supposed to get more priests...how???

Their not, that's the idea.

So then the Greek Catholic church in Belarus is being set-up to die?

How else can you look at it?

Dear Friends,

Perhaps the Vatican would like all East Slavs to rejoin their Mother Orthodox Churches?

Is that such a bad thing?

Rome is already saying that the unity with the Orthodox is "almost complete."

And RC theologians are on record as condemning the historic unionist movements in Orthodox countries as invalid for our times.

The point is that since Rome sees itself as being so very close to the Orthodox, what is the point of infusing the EC movement with renewed life?

Can anyone comment on this?

As for me, if the Ukies can have a single canonical Orthodox Church with its centre in Kyiv and the UGCC moved in that direction due to circumstances - I'm right there!

Wouldn't you guys be?

Alex

Alex,

Unfortunately unity is, no matter how close, not complete. Individuals whose consciences dictate they remain in communion with Rome, should not have them violated by the political and ecumenical policies of either the Roman Curia or the Moscow Patriarchate. The Russians and Belarusians deserve to have proper pastoral care given them by a bishop of their own tradition. That Rome has failed to provide them is a disgrace.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Dear Father Deacon Lance,

As you know, Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky was, in the time of Pope St Pius X, given complete jurisdiction over all EC's of Russia etc.

This is how St Leonid Fyodorov's mother came into communion with Rome - through him.

Don't understand why this cannot remain as the policy, failing anything more.

I can see the UGCC being a thorn in people's sides, but the Russian Catholic Church has an earned respect in the eyes of the ROC which has even given awards to its scholarly members in the past.

It would appear that the Vatican has its signals crossed on the topic of "who offends whom" - surely it is truly offensive for the Latin Church to take in Russians in Russia (as I know does happen) rather than for Russian Catholics with roots that go to pre-revolutionary times being allowed to have their own BC hierarchy.

The Vatican should either stay out of this or else get better advisors over and above His Eminence Cardinal Casper - yourself and the Administrator perhaps! I'm serious!

Please accept my spiritual reverence!

Alex

I absoloutley agree; and the whole idea of not offending the orthodx is completely wrong; the fact is there are RUssians who in Australia and elsewhere prefer to be ministered to by clergy of the Russian rite in communion with ROme, and their pastoral needs should be supplied. It is no wonder that when they are not they convert to orthodoxy; I have no gripe with the Orthodox, I should note, ut the people transferring are not doing so because of theological reasons but because their wishes are not supplied; I imagine that this is the case with Belarussian Catholics also.

Ned

Dear Ned,

Exactly - and add to this that an EC leader of the calibre of Met. Andrew Sheptytsky counselled his flock to attend Orthodox services when their EC churches were not available - then you have even more EC's potentially on the way to becoming Orthodox.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Alex

Dear Ned,

Exactly - and add to this that an EC leader of the calibre of Met. Andrew Sheptytsky counselled his flock to attend Orthodox services when their EC churches were not available - then you have even more EC's potentially on the way to becoming Orthodox.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Alex

Indeed all true and excellently said, Brat' Oleksandr.


I'm there - in a New York minute...