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UKRAINAIN GREEK-CATHOLIC CHURCH: JURIDICAL CONFIGURATION

VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 2004 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, with members of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.


After assuring him of his affection and prayers, "with my deepest admiration for the vitality of this Church and for the faithfulness which has characterized it throughout the centuries," the Holy Father affirmed: "Rich with heroic witnesses, even in the recent past, your church is involved in pastoral programs that enjoy generous collaboration and approval by the clergy and lay people for the effective work of evangelization, promoted by a climate of freedom that today is felt also in your country."


"For this reason," he continued, "I share your aspiration, well-founded in the canonical and conciliar discipline, to have full juridical and ecclesiastical configuration. I share this aspiration in prayer and also in suffering, waiting for the day established by God in which I will be able to confirm the mature fruit of your ecclesial development as successor of the apostle Peter. Meanwhile, as you well know, your request is being seriously studied, also in the light of the evaluations of other Christian Churches."


John Paul II urged that this hope not be an obstacle "to your apostolic courage or a reason to turn off or dampen the joy of the Holy Spirit which drives and spurs on Cardinal Husar, together with his brother bishops and priests, religious and the lay faithful to greater abandonment to proclaiming the Gospel and in the consolidation of your ecclesial tradition."

Dear Fr. Deacon Lance:

That hope becomes nearer to fruition if I am understanding the "need" basis for the affirmation of the UGCC Patriarchate to be: ". . .the consolidation of [the Church of Ukraine's] ecclesial tradition."

It is difficult to read between the lines but that part of the Holy Father's statement to Cardinal Husar and the UGCC's Permanent Holy Synod speaks volumes.

This was the gist of our observations when the "issue" of the Pope's recognition or confirmation of the UGCC Patriarchate came up in another thread recently: that at the very least the UGCC, UOC-KP, and the UAOC should forge a common ground and re-unite. Better still, include UOC-MP in the re-unification drive towards a single Unkrainian Orthodox Church.

Whether to seek communion with Rome or with Constantinople, or to declare autocephaly, is for the united UOC to decide.

Is it a tall order?

Amado

It's a tall order and after reading all the other threads on this issue I need a tall (stiff) drink.

There are a lot of issues.

It is a very polite way of saying, "No. Not now." for the Patriarchate. No timetables, no dates, nothing concrete, nothing different.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I humbly agree with what's been said above. It's time to stand on our own feet and tell Rome a "pansk'e slovo." (Translation is difficult - but I think the non-Ukie speakers get the picture).

Yours,

hal

ecclesial development

Do we still need to be developed somehow?

I suspect that the test of our development will be to unite our Orthodox bretheren--a feat that the Western Patriarch has not been able to accomplish over the last many centuries.

I guess we'll have to wait a few more hours for the full official texts, summaries and commentaries to be published.

If you look at today's RISU postings you will notice that the Ukrainian prime minister is advocating the union of ALL Apostolic Christian Orthodox Churches of Ukraine (UGCC included). He is from a highly Russified part of Ukraine (Donbas). If such directives are comming from the prime minister, it is because this is where history is taking the churches of Ukraine.

Rome, Moscow, and Constantinople want to see this happen, provided each has 'jurisdiction' over the new Super Sized Ukie Orthodox Church. This appears to be the only problem at this point. Rome and Constantinople will probably agree to have some form of shared jurisdiction over the new church. Moscow on the other hand will resist to the end.

Less than two years is a realistic time frame. The people of Ukraine will make it happen.

Hritzko

Well, first the people of Ukraine must decide wether it wants to be Catholic or Orthodox, because unless the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches as a whole restore communion, it can't be both.

Christian

Dear Christian,

Your statement is valid from a theoretical point of view, but to the average Ukrainian 'Joe' this means very little.

Proof of the frustration over the control of Ukraine's theism by foreigners has become evident all over the country.

For example, in the East where the Orthodox Church of Muscovy with the aid of the Communists controls 'Apostolic Christianity' with an iron grip. It should not be a surprise to anyone that the non-traditional churches (ie: JWs and Mormons) in this region have one of the fastest growth rates in the country.

In the West, UGCC bishops and priests must conform to the wishes of the adherants who insist that the Patriarchate be established in Kyiv, the ancient capital of the peoples of Rus-Ukaine. The diaspora bishops may play Basilian games, but not in Ukraine where they must follow the wishes of the people.

Under a separate thread we recently discussed the 'Roun Vira' pagan worshiping sect of Ukraine. This group worships the ancient pagan gods of 'pre 988 adoption of Christianity for Kyiv-Rus' (now Ukraine). They believe that when 'foreigners' brought with them their Christian faith over a 1000 years ago, the greatness of the nation of Volodymyr began to fade. They believe that through the Christian Apostolic churches, the brutal feudal lord system was introduced and legitimized in the Ruthenian / Ukrainian lands. They believe that only by returning to some form of pre-988 autocephaly theism, can the nation be free of foreign empires who have dominated them over the centuries.

If you think that these 'Roun Vira' worshipers are quacks, then think again because they have centers in all areas where the Communists and their Orthodox Church of Muscovy exist. If you read their web site (thanks Dave a.k.a Chetc) you quickly understand that theirs is a very humanistic national theism which clearly is anti-Communist and anti-Muscovy Imperialism. Their faith is very much one of national Orthodox theism devoid of foreigners telling them what they can or can't do. Very few Ukrainian Christians discount their beliefs given the circumstances they are in or what they have endured.

Many of the 'Roun Vira' tenets have been adopted by many of the Christian sects in Ukraine. For example, Taras Shevtchenko (the bard of Ukraine) is revered as a prophet by the 'Roun Vira' pagans and many of the Christian sects in Ukraine. They all believe that Shevtchenko was a 'Moses' sent to free them from bondage of Muscovy.

In Central Ukraine the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has freed itself from the bondage of Muscovy. The Kyivan Patriarchate is not recognized by the 'Orthodox World' but do you believe that they have lost any adherants over this ? Do you think that the average person cares ?

'Autocephaly' is THE Ukrainian theism mantra throughout the land. Let no Greeks, Muscovites, Poles, Italians, or others subjugate or interfere with our Christian theism again.

Believe me when I tell you that the UAOC is highly respected by many UGCC and UOC-KP adherants. Autocephaly is not a dirty word to most Ukie Christians, and if need be, will be the route taken.

The churches of Ukraine will unite and become the largest Orthodox Church in the World. The church of Muscovy will be emasculated and no longer have the power it once did. The new Super sized Ukrainian church in communion with Rome will become the driving force for the reunification of the Orthodox and Catholics around the world.

Twenty years ago, people said that there was no UGCC in Ukraine and that the country would never be independant. Just wait and see what marvels in Orthodox-Catholic relations the next 20 years will produce in Ukraine.

Hritzko

Interesting speculation.

A few years ago there was the Zhogby initiative. Is it possible that the Ukrainians may put themselves in the position of forcing the issue? The result of a union would be a church that has some of its bishops in union with Rome, others in union with the East.

If they were to unite, Orthodox and Catholic all, would both the Othodox and Catholic communities really want to reject them? Could they afford to reject them? This could force the issue and creat a major ecclesiastical community in communion with both the Orthodox and Catholic churches.

It's fun to live in interesting times, isn't it?

I think the Ukranian Catholic Church should just elect a Patriach and tell Rome, now confirm him.
Stephanos I

Dear Stephanos I:

The Holy Synod just did (1) elevate the UGCC to a Patriarchate headquartered in Kiev and (2) elect Cardinal Husar as Patriarch.

A formal request for confirmation has been with Rome for more than a year now.

The predicament is: As part of the Catholic Communion, ONLY the Pope has the authority to bestow (or affirm) the Patriarchal status of any Eastern Catholic Church, excepting the ancient and existing (Eastern) Patriarchal Churches, on a "need" basis. That"need" was rendered more "critical" when the Orthodox Churches, led by Moscow and Constantinople, "objected" to the grant of such status as "leading" to complete and permanent wreckage of existing ecumenical talks.

If the UGCC has enough gumption, she could break communion from the Catholic Church and join the 3 other "factions" of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and sort out among themselves which should have the leading role in the drive for a one and united Ukrainian Church!

Let's wait for the interesting events to come!

Amado

...whilst company is true.

Sorry...couldn't resist...just watched all three Lord of the Ring movies back to back with some friends and lots of pizza.

Anton

ANTON YOU SONUVAGUN I WAS JUST GONNA POST THAT!!!

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Btw, Amadeus, I am having a hard time telling whether you are speaking tongue in cheek about breaking communion--I think that the whole reason why the UGCC is the most respected Church in Ukraine is because their ties to the Universal Church kept them from being one faction among many--not bending to the commies also helped.

If the UGCC breaks communion with the Catholic Church for the sake of a national patriarchate . . .

Anyway, I trust that Cardinal Husar has a lot more sense than that.

In Christ,

LT

It would be a grave error to break communion with Rome for two reasons.

First, the 'contract of 1596' provides a centuries old legal paper trail which recognizes the fact that the Ruthenian Kyivan Metropolitans never ceeded their rights to the Apostolic Christian tradition of established by Grand Prince Volodymyr in 988 when he baptised the peoples of Rus. It should be noted that the Muscovite Orthodox Church's Patriarch will not be able to produce such proof.

Second, if communion were broken with Rome, there would be no more links between the Ukrainian nation and the Catholic Church. The Muscovites would take about two days to lay claim the whole church of Ukraine again. That is something we do not want to see.

The soon to be elected pro-western president of Ukraine will help to unite the churches just as Volodymyr the Great took the initiative to baptize the nation. The new government will also take care of the PR needed to keep the Muscovite's Patriarch from making Rome feel uncomfortable. If the EP refuses to acknowledge the 'fait accomplit' then maybe the Archbishop of Greece might be more inviting .

Hritzko