www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Open letter to the Holy Father - 4 UGCC Bishops

The general tone of what?

The combox perhaps... That is an open forum - I don't ban commentators, I don't edit them - so anyone can jump in and leave anything save spam or vulgarity.

Did you read the actual post itself in its entirety?

The comments, not the post itself.

The comments are what they are - what people felt interested in commenting about. Aside from spam and vulgarity, I don't serve as the thought police making certain any parties conform to a way of thinking - people can jump in, disagree with me, disagree with each other.

I don't ban people - they can mix it up all they like. Stop by and leave some comments disagreeing with those comments - a lot of people do just that.

X. B.

Today at a Pittsburgh south-western Pennsylvania parish in the USA I witnessed this edict of excommunication being read. When will we see the firers of the inquisition? This is where the Byzantine iconoclast heresy erupted yet such intrigue I do not recall. Private personal reprisals yes but nothing like this.

Without pastoral concern it was proclaimed, without explanation. Lately unexplained changes, downsizing of the ethnic parishioner based with the intimidation of lay leadership are common complaints from parishes where the new clergy have taken charge. What is happening? Are we being kept in the dark? Am I just dreaming nightmares due to poor management?

The attitude lately is we are to be brought to our knees at the gateway of our enlightenment, but which one? Today the peasants are the ones with the Ph Ds yet told to pray, pay and obey without question. Unchristian tones of unsubstantiated accusations for scandalous intimidation are no longer the exception.

Over the last couple years cryptic tidbits have surfaced in print. Special Vatican protection of an eparchy. Basilians ask Synod for forgiveness without stating why. Basilian brother brothers hailed for reviving the mission of Ss. Cyril and Methodius while stifled by the local Jesuit epoch. http://www.geocities.com/timkovic/ None of the Ukrainian papers I have read either editorialize or pontificate beyond reporting unconnected yet conflicting facts. Curiously the head of the Ukrainian Greco Catholic Church is a central player, yet it does not concern us as these events occur beyond the integral boarders of Ukraine. So where is Pittsburgh? We are Suri Jurist (sp?) yet Peter is hailed as Pontiff not arbitrator. Post Vatican II Roman Catholicism is credited with suppressing both old Eastern and old Western Churches to create a new Slovakia, Poland and so on. When Kyiv will be in communion with both Rome and Constantinople we will cease to exist. Forget 19 & 20 century ethnic politics, or for that matter IX, XI, XIII or XVI we are talking 21st century intrigue here. What did Saint Methodius and Pope Adrian or even John plan, a new bi-ritual Church? Saint Volodynyr was not interested in establishing the Church of Constantinople but legitimatizing the fermenting indigenous one. What does makes us Catholic and keeps us from being Orthodox?

What is the secret agenda here? Will our domestic peasant church survive the clashes of the crowned?

There's no reason to police people's thoughts. The comments are actually quite interesting, as is Mykhayl's post.

That is rather cryptic.

X. B.
Being kept in the dark cryptic is as clear as it gets. When the Church starts enlightening the people of God instead of keeping its boy's club maybe we can be clearer. Everything has a reason but when you only know the residual affects it is hard to do damage maintenance. This has been fermenting from Father Jan Hus, not the protestant reformer but the Catholic Bohemian.

Who was, is, excommunicated? What "decree of excommunication" are you referring to?

After reading the articles and comments I think I have a better idea of the issues at hand. It seems Easternization is viewed as a form of modernism, that is at least part of the problem. Certainly it seems the bishops are decrying identification with or doctrinal concessions to Orthodox Christians, essentially as false ecumenism. That along with Balamand and the cessation of efforts, at least officially, to convert Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. I believe that is the "Melkite cancer" as it were; a form of theological suicide if carried through. I can understand these arguments.

It seems the program of the Ukrainian Cardinal is also viewed as a form of betrayal given the suffering of Ukrainian Catholics under the Communists. I believe there is also displeasure with traditions being jettisoned, i.e. the Rosary, stations, etc.

The charges of the other forms modernism making inroads are interesting, but it doesn't seem there are a lot of details. The Rorate Caeli blog comments indicate modernism has made its way in to the Ukrainian seminary in Washington. To what extent there are parallels with what is going on in the Ruthenian church is also unclear to me.

Mykhayl's comments, while intriguing, are rather hard for me to make heads or tails out of.

X. B.

AMM

I believe the letter that was read at the end of Sunday Liturgy, in English is as follows:

"23 March 2008

In recent days, it has come to our attention that hieromonks of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, Elijah A. Dohnal, Methodius R. Shpirzhyk, Markian V.. Hitiuk and the priest Robert Oberhauser have declared that they have been consecrated bishops of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church. As the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, I wish to make known the following:

1. The Synod of Bishops of the UGCC never proposed the above-mentioned persons as candidates for the Episcopal office,

2. They have never received the blessing of the Roman Pontiff, as is required by ecclesial law,

3. thus, regardless of their announcement, they can not be regarded as bishops of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church.

I wish to remind all that according to Church legislation - in particular the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (canon 1495, �1) � if bishops without the mandate of the competent authority of the Synod of Bishops under the leadership of the Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, and especially without the blessing of the Holy Father the Pope of Rome, would consecrate someone a bishop, and if were to receive ordination from them under such circumstances, then, in such an event: those who ordained and those who were ordained should be punished with a major excommunication, i.e. by being cut off from the Catholic Church.

The clergy and religious are forbidden to welcome or to invite the abovementioned persons to perform any priestly function whatsoever.

Issued in Kyiv at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

23rd day of March in the year of Our Lord 2008

+ Lubomyr"

There was nothing in the parish bulletin, no follow up explanation just a "Please come to the parish Easter Dinner..." Why half way around the world was this read, while letters from the local eparch may at best get reprinted alongside the weekly bulletin?

As for my other cryptic comments, if you wish by private message but not by public forum.

Mykhayl

google "pseudo synod of Lviv 1946"

21st century Russian Orthodox are not responsible for this crime of course, but Patriarch Alexei still maintains it validity.

He can maintain that idea, but that doesn't mean anyone in the wider Orthodox world would or does view a synod under clear duress such as that as having any canonical legitimacy. Does anyone actually believe the Synod of Brest is dissolved or may be in danger of dissolving because of the Communist Synod or 1946? I doubt it, and I doubt the Vatican is concerned about that either. Both churches were brought to the point of annihilation, that is what I keep in mind when looking at the period.

What is hardest for me to understand is what is going on in the Ukrainian Catholic Church in light of the events of 1946 and the period of Communist persecution.

Indeed, both Orthodox and Catholic alike suffered great persecution from the communist athiests.

As for what is going on in the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine, I have no idea. My lack of Ukrainian and the fact that I know very few recent immigrants from Ukraine leave me at a loss. I do know though from what I hear that there is a lot tension between a pro-"latin" (what they mean by latin I have no idea) party based in Lviv and the rest of the UGCC.

I don't know what all is involved either, although I feel like I am gaining some insight. It does seem like the issues do have spillover in to North America based on what I have been told.

X. B.
Patriarchal Fund-raiser in Pittsburgh Saturday April 4 at 6:30 PM for the Kyiv Resurrection UGCC Patriarchal Cathedral. No mention of questions and answers being handled by competent representatives but a documentary film THE CATHEDRAL UNITES US ALL, language not specified, a duet of singers �Pysanky� will perform presumably in Ukrainian and a photo exhibit THE CATHEDRAL OF OUR UNIFICATION are advertised. Refreshment will follow at St. John Ukrainian (Greco) Catholic Church at 109 S. 7th St. (at Carson St. Southside) Pittsburgh, PA 15203 in the upper hall.