Dear IF,
Well, if he's canonized, he could be the patron "Hopeless Causes!"
President Yuschenko, however, simply wants a unified and autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church and he's really not into talks with Rome etc.
He has no problem with the UGCC remaining as it is. The whole notion, as well, of such a unified church being in communion with both Rome and Constantinople comes, in the first instance, from our Patriarch Lubomyr - and it is, in short, idealistic, unworkable and fantastical, as Rome's bureaucrats would be among the first to acknowledge.
The mess of the Ukrainian Orthodox situation is one that was not begun in 1054. Not at all. It began at the Union of Brest and then with all the various Orthodox factions, canonical and non-canonical, that followed in the 20th century.
Let's put it this way - there is no doctrinal difference between the various Ukrainian Orthodox factions other than jurisdictional - and they couldn't agree on a single leader/patriarch if their very lives depended on it. They prefer to live in their separate jurisdictions as they always have (sadly).
The UGCC has its own history of battling its own Orthodox brothers and sisters since the 16th century. The literature of that period, while "vibrant in the development of the Ukrainian language and literary heritage," shows to what extent Ukrainian was pitted against Ukrainian (to the utter joy of their external national enemies).
But would the UGCC join a unified, autocephalous Orthodox Patriarchate of Kyiv? And why not?
In fact, Rome would NEVER accept union with such a Church/Patriarchate for the same reasons Rome won't recognize a UGCC patriarchate - you know the reasons.
Doubt very much the grandson's monastic vocation. The kind of priest his grandfather was is in short supply in our Church nowadays. And who will lead the UGCC after Pat. Lubomyr? Hopefully, someone of similar calibre. But something tells me - not.
Alex
