Reunion Between Orthodox and Uniates in Ukraine

Unrest and new movement in Ukraine.

(Kiev) Orthodoxy does not rest in Ukraine. At the same time there is a new movement in the country, which forms a transitional zone between the Latin and Greek churches. The Metropolitan of the new Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Grand Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, unified with Rome, are said to have discussed the possibility of unification. Under what sign?

Historically, Ukraine belongs to the catchment area of ​​the Eastern Church and was originally under the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Because of the territorial principle of Orthodoxy, this fact is still relevant today in the field of jurisdiction.

The Ukrainians united with Rome

But the west of the country  was influenced by Poland and Lithuania for a long time and was therefore influenced by the Catholic Church. On the basis of the reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches at the Council of Florence in 1439, part of Ukrainian Orthodoxy established unity with Rome in the sixteenth century. The reason was the unauthorized elevation of Moscow as a "Third Rome" to patriarchy, after Constantinople had been conquered by the Muslims with its historic patriarchal seat.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church united with Rome is the strongest religious community in the three westernmost regions of Ukraine, Lviv, Tarnopol and Ivano-Frankivsk (Stanislau), which belonged until 1918, as part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, to Austria. They also celebrate like the Orthodox in the Byzantine rite.

The vast majority of today's Ukraine is Orthodox, but is divided into several, divided churches. The fault lines run along the question of statehood and the relationship with Moscow.

When the capital of the Byzantine Empire was overrun by the Ottomans in 1453, Moscow replaced Constantinople in the Russian area, which led to a split in Ukraine and gave rise to the Union of Ukrainian Orthodox in Poland-Lithuania with Rome.

About 10% of Ukrainians belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church today. They live mainly in the extreme southwest of the country. The number of Roman Catholics is very low at less than one percent. All Catholics together make up about 10.5 percent of Ukrainians, as of April 2018.

Ukrainian independence movement and Orthodoxy

In the course of the first independence of Ukraine in 1919 and the second independence in 1991, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate were created autocephalous, that is to say, Orthodox churches independent of Moscow, but yet not recognized by the Moscow Patriarchate.

After long conflicts, the two autocephalous churches of Ukraine in 2018 joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (Ukrainian Orthodox Church), which was recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on January 6, 2019 as a canonical national church. For the recognition by Constantinople was waived on the Kiev Patriarch already established in 1991.

Religion in Ukraine (by region). In the Carpathian Mountains the new Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the largest religious community.

On 15 December 2018 Bishop Epiphanius was elected Metropolitan in the Kiev Sophia Cathedral to the first head of the new, autocephalous national church.

The Moscow-faithful part of Ukrainian Orthodoxy is affiliated to the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The three Orthodox churches that existed from 1991 to 2018 competed for recognition as a legitimate national church. It was mainly about the ownership of the church buildings. The Ukrainian government supported the formation of an autocephalous national church in order to strengthen state independence and reduce Moscow's political and religious influence. With the 2018 merger of the two independent, Ukrainian Orthodox churches, this goal was realized against the protest of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Two-thirds of Ukrainians profess to be orthodox Christians. However, the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev means that some of the Orthodox do not want to attribute themselves to one or the other of the two churches. The different numbers of church affiliation of Orthodox Ukrainians can therefore vary considerably. The latest figures come from the Razumkov Center in cooperation with the All-Ukrainian Church Council of April 2018. Today, 47 percent of Ukrainians belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox National Church, which is particularly strong in Northwest and Central Ukraine. About 14 percent of the Ukrainians, who concentrate mainly in the east of the country and in the Crimea, profess the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Filaret dissatisfied with his role

Since its canonical recognition by Constantinople, the autocephalous national church has been headed by a metropolitan, although the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate from 1991-2018 was headed by a patriarch. Most of the time, from 1995-2018, Filaret was its head.

Filaret, now 90 years old, is Honorary Patriarch of the new Ukrainian Orthodox Church. For several weeks, however, he has been in conflict with his successor and former secretary, Metropolitan Epiphanius. Filaret recently even threatened to annul Epiphanius's allegiance and establish an independent patriarchy. The elderly patriarch is considered to be the central figure of ecclesiastical independence of Ukraine. Recently, he was honored as the "Hero of Ukraine" with the highest honor in the country.

Patriarch Filaret (his successor Epiphanius to his right)

In 1990, Filaret was considered a potential candidate for the Moscow Patriarchate. But this did not happen. When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, he sided with the Ukrainian independence movement and separated from the Moscow Patriarchate. With this step, he laid the foundation for Ukrainian autocephaly.

The main reason for the rupture now is that Epiphanius, according to Filaret, does not sufficiently seek to be close. The honorary patriarch is worried about the future of Ukrainian autocephaly since in the presidential elections on April 21 the previous "protector of the church", Petro Poroshenko, was voted out. As the new President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Selenskyj will be sworn in within a few days, and so far he has not distinguished himself either by his closeness to the National Church or his proximity to religion.

Selenskyj met with Metropolitan Epiphanius after his election victory, without making concrete promises to the head of the National Church. Epiphanius nevertheless announced the support of the future head of state.

Filaret also demands, as a patriarch, to be mentioned in all liturgies, which is the case in only part of the churches, while Epiphanius is mentioned everywhere. Filaret's letterhead continues to bear the inscription "Patriarchate of Kiev". He is convinced that the legal status persists as a patriarch. Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople had forced him to retreat in 2018 in return for the recognition of autocephaly, otherwise he would be church leader today and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would have patriarchal status. Moscow is the only patriarchate of Oorthodoxy that could elbow between the historic patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch. Filaret wants to extend this claim to Kiev, because today's capital of Ukraine was originally the "mother of all Rus".

Association of Orthodox and Uniate?

Epiphanius has not yet commented on the criticism of Filaret. For other statements of the Metropolitan provide for discussion. In a statement for Espresso.TV he spoke of the "permissibility" of a possible union with the united with Rome Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is led by Major Archbishop Svyatoslav Shevchuk. There is very good agreement between Metropolitan Epiphanius and Grand Archbishop Svyatoslav.

Metropolitan Epiphanius (left) with Archbishop Svyatoslav of the Greek-Catholic Uniate.

The Metropolitan told Espresso.TV, "We are implementing many important projects with the Greek Catholics and are participating in numerous events". The two church leaders are said to have already talked about a possible union of the two churches. Epiphanius said:

"At a meeting with his Beatitude Svyatoslav, we talked about deepening our cooperation. In it we unfold a dialogue and do not know where it will take us. Theoretically, it is possible to get to the Union.”

Epiphanius is convinced that all Orthodox Ukrainians are destined to unite, meaning both the Orthodox Ukrainians of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Greek Catholic Ukrainians.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Picture: AsiaNews

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

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Pope Receives Major Archbishop Schewtuschuk, to Calm the Waves After the Cuba Meeting with the Moscow Patriarch

Major Archbishop Schewtschuk and Pope Francis: Ukrainian Catholics
Concerned and Discouraged by Rome [Who isn't?]

(Rome) The waves, because of the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, have not been smoothed in Ukraine. The Greek Catholic Ukrainians, about 12 percent of the population, feel "betrayed". They accuse the Pope of representing too pro-Russian a line. To dispelled the fears, Francis  received a delegation of the Uniate Ukrainians last Saturday  in the Vatican.

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The meeting between the two heads of churches on 12 February on the Caribbean island of Cuba earned general praise, but not in Ukraine. The apostolic nuncio tried in February to reassure the Greek Catholics. The day after the meeting in Havana, Nuncio Claudio Gugerotti went  so far as to explain to  the Ukrainians united with Rome in Kiev, they should simply "forget" the "Joint Declaration " of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow. It is a counsel, which, considering  a conflict that has been brewing for centuries, and has meant persecution and oppression to the Uniates, is not sufficient. Certainly not, since an armed territorial dispute prevails in  Eastern Ukraine  between Ukraine and Russia. At the same time the nuncio assured the Uniate Ukrainians that Pope Francis was "close" to them.

The head, of the Orthodox Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who has been in union with Rome since the 16th century, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, translated on 13 February, the words of the Nuncio for his confreres into Ukrainian, but not sparing his comments.

Uniates see themselves as the Eastern Orthodox Church, which adheres to the agreement of 1439

The Uniate Ukrainians, some five million believers, see themselves as representatives of the historical reconciliation of Western and Eastern Church at the Council of Florence of 1439. The remaining of  orthodoxy  approved the agreement of Florence, and  sealed it with their signatures  but then they  have not kept it. It's a breach of contract which the Uniates refused to join. The Orthodox churches, especially the Russian Orthodox Church,  see in contrast the Uniates as renegade Orthodox, which  serve as "bait" by Rome.

The Moscow Patriarchate, according to estimates has 150 million believers worldwide, considers the Ukraine part of the Rus. In recent decades  Rome was expected to  retreat to the pastoral care of  Latin Catholics. That's three percent of Ukrainians. The question of Unitarianism was illuminated the historian Roberto de Mattei: The "historic" meeting between Francis and Kiril  ).

Pope Francis receives Greek Catholic Ukrainians in Vatican

As the words of the Nuncio were not enough to calm the Uniate Ukrainians, Pope Francis on Saturday, March 5, received the Major Archbishop Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych and other bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the Vatican. Ukrainians reiterated here that the encounter between Pope and Patriarch have been "prophetic" per se. But they have expressed at the same time also their unease over the political part of the "Joint Declaration" of Havana.

Rome states that the essential aim of the "Joint Declaration" is the creation of an alliance between Catholics and Orthodox against the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.  Moscow also spoke of an alliance against the "crisis of the family", "against abortion and gay marriage."

While the Greek Ukrainians were shocked that the statement in the form of union with Rome is referred to as "outdated",  Metropolitan Hilarion, the "Foreign Minister of the Moscow Patriarchate" showed himself to be happy "about it and spoke of satisfaction that had befallen the Russian Orthodox Church. The Declaration of Metropolitan Hilarion was published last Friday by the Osservatore Romano as an editorial.  For the Russian Orthodox "Foreign Minister", the declaration is a step toward a "durable peace" in Ukraine.

Yves Hamant: Political Part of the explanation of Havana "is" Moscow

For the French Russia expert Yves Hamant, that it is "evident that the meeting serves the  political interests" of both Patriarch Kirill  just as much as Russia's President Vladimir Putin . "Kirill is recognized by the pope as the head of a community of a country where religion flourishes, while much of the rest of Europe is completely secularized."

Through the meeting, said Hamant, Francis had recognized the Moscow Patriarch  as equal, as in Orthodoxy all the patriarchs have the same rank.

Barely an hour after the signing of the "Joint Declaration," Pope Francis showed himself, however, already worried about the political orientation of the document. In the airplane on the way to Mexico he tried to minimize the political side. "This is not a political statement, it is not a sociological statement, it is a pastoral statement," said the Catholic Church leader.

The Greek Catholics of Ukraine saw it differently and are  still concerned. Then there was also the secrecy which formed ahead of the meeting in Cuba. The declaration was negotiated without the involvement of Ukrainian Catholics.

Kirill told the Russian news agency, Interfax that before signing, only five people on his staff knew the content of the "Joint Declaration."   "It is impossible to prepare for an event of this kind in public," said the Patriarch.

Last Saturday Rome has tried to address the concerns and fears of the Uniate Ukrainians.  Has it  succeeded?

Text: Giuseppe Nardi 
Image: Cruxnow (Screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

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Pope Francis Allows Uniate Churches Worldwide the Ordination of Married Men

Eastern Churches United With Rome May Now
Ordain Married Men Worldwide and Put them in
Parishes

(Rome) While, according to indiscretions  the Congregation for Clergy have considered a dispensation from celibacy for the Brazilian Amazon dioceses, Pope Francis has given married clergy,  hitherto unnoticed by the media, a considerable rise.

It is now official. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches has published  new provisions approved by Pope Francis  that effectively allow the ordination of married men and married priests the pastoral care of   Eastern Catholic Churches outside their historical territories. So far, there were for historical reasons and due to old union contracts requiring special provisions in the clearly defined historic areas of the Eastern Churches united with Rome. Specifically, these were the Middle East and parts of Eastern Central Europe.

"Gravissimum scandalum"

Any further application was rejected by the Latin Church since the Eastern Orthodox practice contradicts the Latin understanding of the priesthood. Especially great were the resistors in America but also in Europe, such as reported by the Vatican expert Sandro Magister. The presence of married priests in the Latin areas would be a "Gravissimum scandalum" and would cause confusion. So far.

In "exceptional concrete cases" although there were sporadic approvals, but were limited by  Benedict XVI in 2008. But now Pope Francis has allowed  the Uniate Eastern Churches principle to be used and without any territorial limitation, to perform ordinations and married priests in the pastoral care of the faithful of the Uniate Churches. The document published by the Congregation of Eastern Churches  is entitled Pontificia de Praecepta clero Uxorato ORIENTALI and was published a few days ago in the issue 6/2014 of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (pages 496-499). The document was already signed  last June 14 by the Argentine Cardinal Prefect Leonardo Sandri.

Prohibition Repealed in 1890

The question did not arise, as long as the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches lived in their historical settlement areas. That changed in the late 19th century. In the new document it states that there existed a problem of pastoral care of married priests there, who emigrated since  in the 1880s, thousands of Catholic Ruthenians in the Lower Carpathian regions of Austria-Hungary and from the Western Ukraine in the USA. There was fierce opposition from the Latin Bishops against the establishment of married priests who adopted Congregation of Propaganda Fide on October 1, 1890 with the approval of Pope Leo XIII. a prohibition against the presence of married Ruthenian priests in the USA.

This prohibition was extended to the other Eastern Churches united with Rome and to all areas outside of America and Europe that did not belong to the catchment area applied to ​​these historic churches.

The result was, according to  the Congregation of Eastern Churches that an estimated 200,000 Ruthenian believers were converted to the Orthodox. If there were exceptions since then, it was so only after consulting the competent Episcopal Conference and with the approval of the Holy See. Since 2008, every decision was solely to the Holy See.

Reference to Anglican Personal Ordinariates

In the now published global permission, it is recalled that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus of 2009, the married former Anglican clergy were also de facto approved for areas that   the Uniate married clergy were previously denied.  That this is merely a transitional arrangement for the returning to Rome of Anglican clerics with family, while for the "Anglican" Personal Ordinariates, no married men can be ordained priests, was not mentioned.

The document lists the new provisions granted by Pope Francis that "provide competent ecclesiastical authority the power to allow the pastoral ministry of the married oriental clergy  outside their historic areas" and also assume the ordinations  there.

Three Possibilities

First, where Uniate Eastern Church administrative units with their own hierarchs (Metropolitan, Eparch, Exarch) exist, they are directly granted the power to decide. They are allowed the competence to ordain as married priests, Eastern Rite candidates. The only condition is to inform the competent Latin bishop about it in  the place of residence. 

Second: In the diocese of the Eastern Rite faithful  without their own hierarchs, the same jurisdiction is transferred to the Latin Ordinaries. As support, they have to inform the competent episcopal conference. Pope Francis himself was in his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, also an Ordinarius of the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Argentina.

Thirdly, in the areas such as Italy, where the faithful of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches are without territorial administrative units and their pastoral care is transferred to the Latin bishops, the previous rule applies. Special permits are reserved after hearing the competent Bishops' Conference of the Eastern Churches' Congregation.

The measure has had no impact on the Latin faithful. A crossing of the Latin rite in a Uniate Eastern Church is actually not provided for because they are ethnically and culturally linked to a particular people. One might consider the new rules as a practical facilitation for the Uniate churches, whose diaspora extends through migration, and extends across more countries. Nevertheless, beyond purely functional considerations, the question of meaning and justification of such unqualified accommodation for a practice that is explicitly  rejected by the Latin Church.  It is normal as it arises from an exemption  and is to a certain extent, self-evident. Since the pressure of progressive circles for Pope Francis to the waiver of  priestly celibacy has abruptly increased, these circles will in any case consider the measures  as grist to the mill.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Settimo Cielo

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

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