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Melkite Patriarch To Visit Ukraine In Late September


LVIV, UKRAINE, Sep 15, 02 (RISU.org.ua) – Patriarch Gregory III (Laham) of Antioch and all the East, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, will visit Ukraine from 23 to 30 September 2002. He will tour the western Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Univ, Ternopil, Zazdrist and Zarvanytsia.

On 28 September, Patriarch Gregory III will participate in the ceremony when a copy of the Shroud of Turin arrives in Lviv.

Relations between the Ukrainian Greek Catholic and the Melkite Greek Catholic churches have traditionally been warm and friendly. The late Melkite Patriarch Maximos V and Patriarch Josyf Slipyj used to work closely together, standing up for the dignity of the Eastern Catholic churches.

Further information on Patriarch Gregory is available in English at: www.melkite.net/Leaders/GregoryIII.html [melkite.net]

Source: press service of the head of the UGCC

The first Russian Catholic priest to minister publicly at the end of the 19th century, Father Nicholas Tolstoy, was ordained by the Melkites.

Dear Friends,

I have a solution to our Patriarchate problem.

When the Melkite Patriarch arrives in L'viv, why not do to him what was done to St Augustine, tie him up and declare him Patriarch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church?

He is already a Patriarch, so Rome wouldn't have to address the issue of making one for our Church.

The Melkites would have no problem getting another Patriarch.

St Raphael Hawaweeny of Brooklyn did his studies in Kyiv. The Melkites have proven time and again that they can learn Slavonic, Russian and Ukrainian.

And, as a Melkite, he would spear-head a real Byzantine renewal in our Church.

Is that brilliant on my part or what?

Alex

Should we expect Patriarch Alexei to throw a hissy-fit the way he did when the Holy Father dared show up in Ukraine??

Catholic expansionism!
A revival of the discredited Unia!
A Uniat patriarch in the(sic) Ukraine!
An Islamo-fascist Middle Eastern terror campaign!A Jewish anti-Russian plot!
A Masonic-New World Order-EU-UN conspiracy!
The end of the world!

Eis polla eti, Despota.

Dear Lemko,

And your point is . . .?

Alex

I thought all plots were Russian ones against Ukrainians??!!


Yours in Holy Russia,

Brian

I believe that Lemko's theorizing, (which is well-founded on historical precedence of recent times), is that if the Russian patriarch was so intimidated by a visit to Ukraine by His Holiness, the Pope, a patriarch of the Western Church, how much more may he be "put out" by the visit of an Eastern Patriarch. I wonder if Patriarch Gregory has asked permission of the MP to visit the church in Ukraine? If not, this may become one of the reasons cited for opposition.

No doubt, because of the Pope's universal acclaim and notoriety, we will not hear as much from the Moscow patriarch about Patriarch Gregory's visit, but if one considers the real significance behind the event, it is much closer to home to have a patriarch of the Byzantine Church visit a predominantly Byzantine country and territory than it was to have a prelate of the Latin Church pay a visit. (I use Byzantine here to refer to the majority ritual tradition in the region - Orthodox or Catholic.)

I would not be surprised if we do hear some grumbling from the MP and also their figurehead in the UOC-MP, regarding the "intrusion" of a "uniate" patriarch on their "canonical territory." The MP seems to object to just about anything Catholic at this point in time, so we might as well get prepared for more protests and potential retaliation in the form of expulsion of more Catholic clergy in Russia, etc.

I hope that this is not the case, but it is difficult to predict what will make the MP feel uncomfortable these days. It is sad, but to reiterate a point made many times before, if the MP was doing what it is supposed to be doing as a church, it would have less time to worry about the activities of other jurisdictions and would spend more time ministering to their own people, to the poor and marginalized, the un-evangelized, etc. One of the greatest tools for bringing people to Christ is through example. I think that the Russian Church would gain a far greater number of people, if the message they sent out was one of compassion and concern for those in need rather than resting on models of imperial antiquity that have long ceased to exist. I do not mean to say that charitable work and Christian example are not evident in individual eparchies and persons of the ROC, but the official message being sent to the world is a dire attempt to maintain the status quo that the church had enjoyed for centuries.

If the Russian Orthodox Church is concerned that people may be "going over" to the Catholic side, then perhaps they could re-evaluate how they are addressing the needs and concerns of those who are doing so. The Catholic Church has made it clear many times that they are not in Russia to proselytize but to serve those who are already Catholic. In the meantime however, if people voluntarily ask to be baptized or be received into the church, they are not going to turn them away. I don't think any of us would do that.

If there is democracy and freedom of conscience in Russia, then everyone has to accept the possibility that certain people may just find their spiritual needs better served in a Catholic or even another denominational church. After all, is that not how we operate in the US and Canada? One is free to attend the church of their choice, where they feel most at home or where they are convinced that God is speaking to them. One argument used is that the Catholics have far greater resources to provide social service ministries and therefore have captivated their audiences. I don't think that this is actually true. Certainly the church does have many generous benefactors that assist in its mission, but Orthodox people have also responded to the needs of their churches worldwide. Likewise, there have been many ways in which people everywhere, including Catholic organizations, have assisted the Russian Orthodox Church in projects of this nature, as well as helping in other ways, such as the building and re-building of churches and institutions.

I am not suggesting that the faith is the same wherever one may choose to worship or especially that all religions possess equal levels of truth. This may be called religious relativism by some, but rather than that, it is the freedom to choose rather than be forced to worship at one church or another. God did bestow free will upon humanity and one way this is exercised is by freely choosing to worship him according to our conscience. Religious liberty is critical to the welfare of all churches. If we loose this, we are all too well aware of the consequences. Our people have paid dearly for it in the past and it is frightening to say the least, that there still exist, right in our backyard, religious leaders who would limit the freedom of the individual to worship God according to their conscience.

A Jewish anti-Russian plot! . . . I thought all plots were Russian ones against Ukrainians??!!
Yours in Holy Russia, Brian

The reference to a "Jewish anti-Russian plot" reflects the excuses used by the latter in Tsarist and Soviet times, for random pogroms against the Jews since they were perceived as threatening, in various convoluted ways, to the Russian people, similar to those sentiments of paranoia used by other political groups. Brian, perhaps you meant it in jest, (I don't have any way to know except by the "smiley face") but if Russia is indeed "holy" let it be recognized by others from the fruits of a Gospel lifestyle rather than through self-imposed perceptions from the vantage point of "holy tradition."

For Ukrainians, Catholic and Orthodox alike, as well as many others, the topic of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church are always ones taken with grave seriousness. We know too well what the consequences of their holiness and zeal can be, and not all too long ago but rather recently at that. Any Ukrainian and Carpatho-Rusyn Christian, Byzantine Catholic or Orthodox, who is not affiliated with the MP, knows the severity of not complying with their wishes.

To end with where we began, this is certainly not the first time that a Patriarch of Antioch has traveled throughout Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Significantly, in 1913, Orthodox Patriarch, His Beatitude, Gregorios IV, visited the region and consecrated the primate of what became the Autocephalous Polish Orthodox Church, Metropolitan-Archbishop Dionysij Valedynskyj. This church, which later assisted in the renewal of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox episcopacy in 1942, (in fulfillment of a tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarch) was organized mainly to serve Ukrainian faithful living in Polish territory, of which Galicia (Halychyna) was then a part. It is of no surprise that there was a close working relationship between Patriarch Maximos V Hakim and Patriarch Josyf Slipyj.

May His Beatitude, the Patriarch of Antioch, Gregory III have a fruitful visit to Ukraine.

Fr. Joe

Dear Fr. Joe, it's not too hard to predict what will bother the MP these days. Nearly anything that Alexei does not have direct jurisdiction or control over, seems to bother him.

One needs to keep in perspective that over half of the regularly church-going members of the MP are in Ukraine. With the resurrection of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Autocephelous Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church/Kyivan Patriarchate Alexei is certainly in a defensive mode to "circle the wagons".

By the way, Fr. Joe, what parish do you serve in Brooklyn?

Father, Bless!

I meant it partly in jest. Just the nationalism on both sides tends to get me down. Like saying all Russians or Russian Orthodox things are bad because of experiences in the past or on the Russian side, looking down on Ukrainian people.
Can't we both share the riches of the Holy Orthodox tradition without the nationalistic game-playing?
Yes, Russia is Holy in the Saints that have sprung from her as Ukraine is as well in many of the same Saints. Let us look to the best examples of that Faith not the worst!

Dear Brian,

That's right.

You just tell those guys to leave our friend, His Holiness Patriarch Alexei, alone!

Alex

I don't like MP hysteria either, but the comment by Fr. Joe that insinuated that the MP is not doing what is supposed to as a church is plain silly. Since 1990, approximately 90 new dicoeses and 12000 parishes have been opened in Russia. Obviously they are doing something right!

St. Nicholas the Tsar, pray for us!

anastasios

The MP has over 90 new dioceses and 12,000 new parishes and it is complaining about 4 new Roman Catholic dioceses and a handful of Roman Catholic parishes?

Talk about insecurity!

Dear Tasos,

It is nice to hear you've such a devotion to Tsar St Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov!

Obviously, St Vladimir's Seminary agrees with you!

Is the veneration of the Romanov saints pan-Orthodox? Is it formally accepted by the OCA, for example?

As for the Moscow Patriarchate, I would venture to say that many of those churches opened for the rush of believers once freedom of religion was brought back in Russia.

During the Soviet era, the Moscow Patriarchate agreed to collaborate with the Soviet government in closing down churches each year.

But that is no longer the case.

I was most impressed by the fact that on the day that His Holiness the Patriarch locally canonized Blessed Matrona of Moscow, more than 100,000 requests for Molebens to her were received and served in Moscow that same day.

Again, I think that much of this is no credit to anyone except the people who were without liturgical services and their Churches for too long.

Alex

I'm so glad that the Patriarch of Antioch Gregory will be visiting L'viv at the occasion of the arrival of the relic. I pray that it will be an occasion of grace for the whole Church!

Elias