8-Oct-2000 -- EWTN News Brief

UKRAINE EASTERN-RITE CATHOLICS SAY VATICAN ABANDONING THEM

KIEV, (CWNews.com/Keston) - Some religious leaders in western Ukraine have questioned why the Vatican does not leap to the defense of Eastern-rite Catholics in response to Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksei's accusations of their "occupation" of western Ukraine.

Some argue that the Vatican has little enthusiasm for the Eastern-rite Catholic Church, while others believe the Vatican does not want to annoy the Moscow Patriarchate by recognizing that other Ukrainian Orthodox, especially those of the Kiev Patriarchate jurisdiction, are a major force and should become a legitimate partner in dialogue with the Catholics. A number of Autocephalous Orthodox leaders and government officials even said that the "Greek" Catholics, frustrated by the Vatican's stance, might seek to join one of the Orthodox jurisdictions.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate) Bishop of Lviv Andrei (Horak), asked why he
thought that the Vatican did not counter Patriarch Aleksei's accusations, replied: "The Vatican never complained in 1946 either [when Catholic churches were seized by the Soviets]. Maybe because it is the promoter of them." Patriarch Filaret (Denisenko) of the UOC (KP) explained: "The Vatican's current policy is to leave the Greek Catholics alone. They are a barrier to dialogue with the Moscow Patriarchate and therefore the Vatican is not supporting Uniatism."

Several observers felt that the Greek Catholics had been abandoned by Rome. Igor Ozhiyevsky, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's Department for External Church Relations, cited the absence of direct financial support for his Church from the Vatican. The funding that had permitted the extensive church construction in Lviv and Ternopil regions, he said, had come from two
German-based Catholic charities, Aid to the Church in Need and Renovabis, as well as the US Catholic Bishops' Conference-- not Rome. The Vatican, he maintained, was terrified "that we will destroy the system which has formed within the Catholic Church," since in effect the Greek Catholic Church represented a local Church, and the Catholic Church "does not recognize local Churches."

In Patriarch Filaret's view, the Greek Catholics already sensed that "Rome does not need them any more," and the union with the Vatican has become merely symbolic. Patriarch Filaret and Bishop Andrei (Horak) were the only leaders who seriously thought that Greek Catholics might leave the Catholic Church as a result of the Vatican's stance. However, vice premier of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Nikolai Zhilinsky has said that Greek Catholics were currently "looking to possible integration into one local Ukrainian Orthodox Church."

We must keep in mind the fervent and informed interest that Pope John Paul II has shown in the Eastern Churches in his encyclicals Apostolorum Slavorum and Orientale Lumen. He made a pilgrimage to Eastern Poland to promote devotion to the Byzantine Catholics martyred by the Russian Orthodox at Pratulin. He made a pilgrimage to Mariapocs in Hungary to pray with Slovak, Hungarian, and Carpatho-Rusyn Byzantine Catholics. He has a strong interest in Russian spirtuality, venerating the icon of Our Lady of Kazan in his private chapel. He has a great devotion to the Theotokos of Fatima and has led a worldwide revival of devotion to her. He has worked for the conversion of Russia by means of consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. He hopes to make a pilgrimage to Russia.

All of this tells me that the Vatican has not and will never abandon the Byzantine Catholic Churches. It would mean the loss of too much spiritual treasure. Would I like to see more? Yes. I would like to see the following:

1) Beatification of Andrei Sheptitsky and other contemporary martyrs and confessors of the Byzantine Churches.

2) Russian and Belarusian Catholics must have their own bishop and seminary. At first this may mean one or more Apostolic Visitators.

3) The Vatican will conduct no talks or ecumenical dialogues with the Orthodox without representatives from the Byzantine Churches.

4) The Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic hierarchs twice invited the Orthodox to a cermony of mutual forgiveness. The Orthodox have never responded. Only the Romanian Orthodox bishops have apologized to the Byzantine Catholics of Romania. These calls should be renewed in Ukraine, Romainia, Slovakia, Belarus, and Russia.

Pray to the Apostle of Union, Josaphat of Polotsk, bishop martyr for swift progress on theses issues.

[This message has been edited by Doulos of Fatima (edited 10-11-2000).]

Let's face it, for the peoples in these areas, the main consideration is "who's trying to climb to the top and who's got the $$$$$$$."

The "praying remnant", if I may coin a phrase, are interested in following the Gospel and seeing to it that people are fed, housed, clothed, and educated. The "political patsies" are playing politics.