www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Wow, take a look at this: Cardinal Josyf Slipyj!!!

Well, if you want to get picky, Constantinople erected the Patriarchate of Moscow--though it is not at all clear whether it had the authority to do that. Neither is it clear that the movement of the Metropolitanate from Kiev to Moscow was a canonical action. If you want to get picky, that is.

But facts are facts: the Holy See gave its word to Patriarch Josef that Kiev would be formally elevated to patriarchal status. One would like to think that the Holy See can be taken at its word.

OK, I was unaware of this. When did this happen? Which pope made this promise to Joseph Cardinal Slipyj?

And you should know well that studying history involves getting picky.

Back in 1978. It was John Paul II.

In April 1993, in his statement on the intention to build a Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv, the late Cardinal Liubachivsky stated: "I remind you all that the Holy Father, John Paul II of Rome, himself stated, in the presence of the 28 bishops of our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 'I no longer see any obstacle to the proclamation of a Patriarchate.'"
cited in "Religion and Nation in Modern Ukraine", Plokhy and Sysyn, eds., pg. 158 http://www.ciuspress.com/catalogue/religion-and-theology/119/religion-and-nation-in-modern-ukraine

During the papal visit to Ukraine in 2001, His Beatitude Cardinal Husar was publicly commemorated as Patriarch during the Divine Liturgies in Kyiv and Lviv in the presence of Pope John Paul II.

It was normal to commemorate his predecessor, Archbishop Miroslav Ivan as Patriarch. I have a recording from the cathedral in Lviv, and though it is in Ukrainian and not Slavonic, the title is quite plain to be heard.

I believe the prefix "Major" was attached to differentiate the Ukrainian Catholic primate from metropoltian and titular archbishops. The Greeks only grant the title Archbishop to heads of autocephalous/autonomous churches and exarchs: the Archbishops of Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Sinai, Finland, Crete, America, Great Britian, Australia, and the Russians of Western Europe. The Greeks do not use Archbishop as an honorary title only as the Latins and Slavs do. So while no Orthodox Church attaches "Major" to Archbishop the idea that an autocephalous church may be headed by ab Archbishop rather than a Patriarch is quite ancient, Cyprus being the first recognized as such at Ephesus. The title of Patriarchate does not mean much if the Patriachal Synod can't appoint its bishops outside of the home territory or look to Rome for other such concerns. On the otherhand, an Archepiscopal Synod which is truly autocephalous is much more meaningful.

I was often at services in Saint George's Cathedral after it was restored to the Greek-Catholics, and the commemoration was practically invariable.

Now one can notice that hierarchs who would not themselves commemorate the Patriarch twenty years ago do so now without demur. As I said, enough is enough.

Fr. Serge

I'm sure that Patriarch Lyubomir would not mind being a "mere" Archbishop if, in return, he had real autocephaly. As it is, he has neither patriarchal status nor autocephaly, so I'm sure someone somewhere sees this as a "win-win" situation.

His Beatitude wore this get-up once, for this photograph. He was never seen in it again preferring the white klobuk.

The look on his face says, "Not even the Communists managed to humiliate me like this".

...but, StuartK, there have been sightings! People swear they exist!

There are sightings in Ukraine...
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...in Romania...

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...and two in India!

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All I see are four patriarchs. Or perhaps two patriarchs and two katholikoi. Though I really like that red hat--almost as good as Patriarch Josef's Ming the Merciless headgear.

Well at least we now know one of the reasons he never made the cover of GQ.

This notorious photograph resulted from a painted portrait of Cardinal Isidore of Kyiv - the portrait was produced and used to convince Patriarch Joseph that he should be so garbed. Shortly afterwards, it was discovered that the portrait had been painted a good century after the repose of Cardinal Isidore, so its sartorial-probative value is nil.

Fr. Serge