www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News New Byzantine Catholic Bishop in Slovakia

To be honest with you I don't know much about the Byzantine Jesuit order, but from what I know the Jesuits in the past did not have a very good and friendly reputation in Ukraine. Of course the Jesuits must have changed their policy of converting people to the Catholic Church since then, but unfortunately for them, their history and reputation remains. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.
Lauro

Well, the Jesuits were active especially in the US in devloping the Russian Catholic Church and preserving it's Orthodox praxis. Sadly, there are few Russian Catholic parishes. Does Fordham University stlll have it's Eastern Christian Studies center?? That used to be a center for the Jesuit Eastern Catholic Apostolate.

I don't want to comment on this particular selection of a new Bishop. That is your business.

I will comment on the selection of our Archbishop.
He was from Texas. To some in New Mexico, Texas is an enemy (unless you're a Dallas Cowboys fan!). Some Catholics asked why wasn't a native selected for Archbishop?

For 9 years Archbishop Michael Sheehan has proved himeself to be a good leader for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
He is loved by all ethnic and racial groups. He is a good man and a good Pastor.

My point is don't make a cookie cutter for who you think is a good leader. The last time I checked God was still good at surprises.

God bless the bishop-elect of Preshov.

Peace,

Paul

Dear Lauro,

When we have an Orthodox convert-to-be (Brian) saying good things about the Jesuits, do we need more evidence of the working of the Spirit among us?!

You are right, of course, and the Jesuits don't have a good history among our people. I can't imagine the Jesuits ever being accepted as an Order for that reason, even though we do have Basilians who are similar to the Jesuits, having been reformed by them a few times in their history.

The Jesuits, like some other religious Orders, accepted the Byzantine Rite (something the Polish Jesuits would never do), and began to apply their grand tradition of studies to the Eastern Churches.

The fruits of that study have been tremendous and monumental. They are very strict about the observance of the Eastern traditions and actually know more about our Church than we do - Fr. Bohdan Lypsky used to like to say that.

Fr. John Meyendorff himself would often have the great Jesuit Byzantinist, Fr. Gustav Weigel, SJ, review his manuscripts before publication.

I understand Fr. Weigel would often chide Fr. Meyendorff for not "going far enough" in stating his "anti-Filioque" case!

Alex

Well, Alex

I had some good experiences in attending and talking to some of the Jesuits at the Russian Center in San Francisco and at St Andrew's in El Segundo, Calif. I see these as part of the journey I am now on. Certainly, learning and appreciating the praxis and Orthodox spirituality found there was an unforgetable experience. I will always be grateful to God for them and to the priests and laity of the Eastern Catholic Particular Churches when God Willing, I become an Orthodox Christian.

Dear Brian,

Well - anything we can do . . .

Alex

If this is the case than I guess the Jesuits have changed.
Lauro

Dear Lauro,

Well, some have, Big Guy, some have . . .

Others, as you know, have become revolutionaries down where you are - a change for the worse.

Alex

Dear Alex and Lauro:

NO, the Jesuits have not changed!

They are still the beloved warriors for Christ but some have been facing East more, some facing down South, and many still facing straight West!

AmdG

Well, Alex, not to defend all of LIberation Theology and it's excesses, many of these priests minister to populations living in incredible poverty and in nations with very oppressive governments (and militaries) which forgot the poor (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras etc)
There are 2 sides as I'm sure you know.

Brian
P.S. I'm sorry for taking this thread off it's original title.

Dear Friends:

Apropos of the discussion on the appointment of a new Bishop for the Eparchy of Presov in eastern Slovakia, I forgot to mention of the fact, which you may very well know, that more than 66% of Slovakia's population are Latin-rite Catholics.

AmdG

The life and teachings of Archbishop Oscar Romero tell us well of the unrelenting situations in many Latin American countries and the necessity of the church's Gospel-response to the horrible oppression of thousands upon thousands of innocent, common people. I have been interested in liberation theology for many years, and although I see the dangers to which it can become subject, I also appreciate its ability to apply the faith to the unspeakable experiences that the faithful endure.

Archbishop Romero himself was more complacent about the "status quo" of church-government relations and the place of the church in being a voice for the oppressed, until he was placed in a situation in which he took seriously his role as a pastor of his flock. His characteristics of faithfulness to principle, no matter what the cost, pulled him forward to offer the necessary response to what he saw going on in his Archdiocese. As we know, this ultimately cost him his life, but it also gave the Salvadoran people an unconquerable spirit which, despite continued oppression, would not give in to the intimidations of the powerful.

His life has always been a tremendous inspiration to me as a priest and pastor. We can only pray that our new bishops in Ukraine and Slovakia will follow the example of Archbishop Romero, in being true pastors and addressing certain oppressive situations that exist in our ancestral homeland. To be sure, these may differ in form and content today, from those in El Salvador and throughout Latin America, but there also remain remnants of the effects of the drastic persecution of the Stalinist era that require continued attention and pastoral guidance.

In many ways, our Bishop Romzha was a Romero for his people, in offering strong and encouraging words and example in the face of brutal oppression. He too was not afraid to speak the truth and stand for the rights of his faithful. His was another preaching of the "liberation" that comes from living the Gospel message and being true followers of Christ. Like Archbishop Romero, who was differed from the "norm" upheld by other Salvadoran bishops of the day, and unlike some other Eastern church clerics of the Soviet era, Bishop Romzha (and many Greek Catholic bishops) would not "cooperate" with the agenda of the government which contained injustices for his people and for the church. Like Romero, Romzha's voice was also silenced by the government, because of the threat he posed to their authority and designs.

While we must be careful to avoid extravagancies in any theology or particular thinking, I believe that the liberation theologians deserve a fair consideration for the ability to apply Christianity and particularly the Gospel message to the situation of the faithful in those countries which suffer such bitter oppression. Christ is Lord, God, Savior and Liberator of His people - and that is the reason he "took flesh and was born of the Virgin" at this season we now prepare to celebrate.

I have always wondered if and when a particular Eastern Christian theology of liberation will surface among the thinkers of Eastern Europe. Surely at the time of the Soviet oppression, it was not easy to write freely and disseminate theological works, but still, I've been intrigued that a more concise theology never appeared, at least that I'm aware of. It may be because of the fact that we are not used to composing fresh theological works that are relevant to and interpret current circumstances while remaining faithful to the tradition of the church and that do not merely repeat proclamations of the councils of the past, of which, while treasuring them, we are well aware.

May our European Greek Catholic bishops be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to be true images of Christ the Liberator, as they begin their new ministries.

Fr. Joe

While everyone has been "complaining" about a Roman Catholic being appointed to an Eastern see (and, from what I read here, he might not even be a Roman Catholic, but indeed an Eastern Catholic), I wonder if I might ask a question. Since, to the best of my knowledge, the papal consecration of new bishops which happens every 6 January (Theophany) is a Latin rite ceremony to consecrate bishops, almost all of whom are Latin, why is it that Greek Catholic bishops are being consecrated in Latin ceremonies?

From the official Vatican Press Release:

Appointed Fr. Jan Babjak, S.J., professor of Eastern Spirituality in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Trnava, Slovakia, as bishop of the eparchy of Presov (Catholics 175,000, priests 263, permanent deacons 1, religious 167). The bishop-elect was born in Hazine nad Cirichou, Slovakia in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1978. He succeeds Bishop Jan Hirka whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same eparchy the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.
NER:NEA:RE/.../... VIS 20021211 (160)

Mor Ephrem wrote:
[W]hy is it that Greek Catholic bishops are being consecrated in Latin ceremonies?

The Eparchy of Presov is not part of a larger metropolitan Church (like the Eparchy of Passaic is part of the Metropolitan Province of Pittsburgh). The Vatican will generally not ask the Cardinal Archbishop / Patriarch of Ukraine to consecrate the new bishop since the Cardinal Archbishop has no jurisdiction. In a perfect world the new bishop would have been either elected by the local clergy or appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Within Byzantine Orthodoxy the patriarch would most likely have send the Cardinal Archbishop to consecrate the new bishop or called him to Constantinople for the episcopal consecration.