LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (05/23/04)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A reaction to Moscow's moves re patriarchate

Dear Editor:

Reading reports about the hostile reaction against the establishment of the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchate by Orthodox bishops, incited by Russian Patriarch Aleksei II, and with the support of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, one wonders what has happened to the Christian teaching "Thou shalt love the lord thy God and thy neighbor as thyself."

Paging through the pages of the history of Churches in Ukraine, it can be noticed that this basic principle most of the time was not applied to the Ukrainian Churches by the highest spiritual leaders in Moscow, Constantinople or in Rome.

History shows that the Ukrainian Church, Catholic or Orthodox, always stood firmly on Christian principle. Nevertheless, these Churches were not tolerated by Moscow and most often discriminated against instead of being defended by others.

Since the Russian Church has a tendency to identify a civic authority as being almost equal to God, the Church became totally dependent on the state. As a result of this attitude, it became a partner in the earthly politics that led to the subjugation of the Ukrainian people and the destruction of their Churches. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church became a victim because it preferred to be the Church of the Ukrainian people. Contrary to canon law, the Moscow Patriarchate first installed "guardians" for the Kyiv Metropoly. Soon after, the Patriarch of Constantinople, after receiving compensation, in 1685 turned the Church of Ukraine under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. This move resulted in the destruction of the autonomous ecclesiastical rights of the Church, the elimination of traditional characteristics and the beginning of Russification.

During the tsarist regime, whenever the Russian political and ecclesiastical arm reached, the Ukrainian Catholic Church met more vicious persecution. Tsar Peter I earned the title of "Butcher of the Ukrainian Catholic Church." On July 11, 1705, he personally killed two Basilian priests in Polock who defended the Blessed Eucharist from being sacrilegiously profaned. His successors, Catherine II, Nicholas I and Alexander III, all were known for their "holy fervor" in forcibly converting Ukrainian Catholics to Russian Orthodoxy. Thousands upon thousands of Ukrainian Catholics in Volyn, Kholmschyna and Pidliashshia - clergy and laity alike - died in prisons, were sent to Siberia, or were slaughtered by the bullets of Russian troops.

After the fall of the tsarist Russian regime, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was revived under the leadership of Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivsky. Soon the Communist regime, the inheritor of tsarist imperialistic policy, used terror and murder to destroy the newly established Church.

The same trend of annihilation continued when predominantly Catholic western Ukraine came under the rule of the Russian Communists. After the Ukrainian Catholic Church refused to convert to Russian Orthodoxy it was met with even more hard and cruel reaction. In 1945 all the Church's bishops were arrested and sentenced to long imprisonment. In their place the patriarch of Moscow appointed Russian Orthodox Bishop Makarius. To provide a semblance of voluntary conversion, an illegal sobor was convened. Those who opposed the sobor - the clergy and thousands of faithful - were jailed or deported to Siberian camps.

In spite of these tragedies and sufferings, past and recent experiences indicate that Ukrainians cannot expect any sympathy or any fair deal from anyone.

When Joseph Stalin decided to starve to death millions of Ukrainians and later destroyed their intelligentsia, there were hardly any voices of protest. Instead, one could hear all kinds of excuses in defense of the perpetrators - and even a cover-up of these heinous crimes.

While both Ukrainian Churches, Orthodox and Catholic, were being destroyed, there was no significant outcry from any corner of the Christian world.

It becomes obvious that Ukrainians must take destiny into their own hands with the hope that, with God's help, they will prevail. For many years the faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church have been striving to have a patriarch as their spiritual leader. This desire became more urgent after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as Ukraine became independent and the Churches were revived. Last fall our bishops took the right step by electing Cardinal Lubomyr Husar as patriarch of 7 million to 10 million Ukrainian Catholics.

Unfortunately, the Vatican Curia is asking the Moscow Patriarch for permission to establish this Patriarchate for the Ukrainian Catholic Church, despite the fact that the agreement of the Union of Brest of 1596 guarantees the Church autonomy in administrative matters. To no one's surprise, Moscow objected and organized the opposition of several Orthodox patriarchs.

Now is the time for the Ukrainian people and their Spiritual leaders, especially the bishops, to speak up loud and clear in one voice: We do have a patriarch who was elected rightfully, and unanimously!

Now is the time to inform Moscow's patriarch and his allies to stay out of our business.

Now is the time to let the Vatican Curia's politicians know that the Ukrainian people have exercised their right. We should let them know that the Church plays a very important part in the life of the Ukrainian people, and that we would like to see it grow and prosper regardless of objections from Moscow, Constantinople or elsewhere.

Dr. Michael J. Kozak
Minneapolis

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