LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (01/19/97)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Kuropas column disregards facts

Dear Editor:

It might be time to consider other more responsible authors for the opinion column in The Ukrainian Weekly, given Myron Kuropas' continued disregard for propriety and facts.

His column "Christmas in Ukraine" last month initially appeals to common belief and tolerance between Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholics, then slides into an anti-Orthodox diatribe that includes the statement "Ukraine is not an Orthodox nation." Is France Catholic? Is England Protestant?

Certainly, as he suggests, if Ukrainian Orthodox hierarchs should invite the pope to Kyiv, then shouldn't the Greek-Catholic cardinal invite Billy Graham to Lviv to recognize the role of Protestant evangelism in weakening Soviet atheism and in persuading some Ukrainians "to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior"?

Dr. Kuropas' strident, Greek-Catholic militancy doesn't belong in The Ukrainian Weekly, an official publication of the Ukrainian National Association.

Your readers, as well as officials of the Ukrainian Fraternal Association - whose publications have been more balanced in reporting Ukrainian religious issues and who are considering a union with the UNA - should take notice of Dr. Kuropas' journalistic abuse.

Alec Danylevich, M.D.
Worcester, Mass.

Columnist offends Ukrainian people

Dear Editor:

It's a shame that in his "Christmas in Ukraine, 1996" column Myron B. Kuropas does not practice what he preaches. For example, Dr. Kuropas writes that even the Moscow Patriarch "is entitled to the honor and respect of his office, regardless of his personal leanings." Yet Dr. Kuropas denies the respect due to Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate. Dr. Kuropas also writes of Christian behavior and the need to demonstrate "that we are united in our common belief and mutual appreciation and love for each other." Yet he expresses only insults and contempt for the people in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

In the past we have always looked forward to Dr. Kuropas' columns in The Ukrainian Weekly, but found this last column, "Christmas in Ukraine, 1996," offensive and not worthy of such an intelligent and influential person. Why is it that all too frequently Ukrainians tend to honor all things foreign and bash our own? We sincerely hope that in the future The Ukrainian Weekly will avoid publishing columns that needlessly insult and offend large segments of Ukrainians in Ukraine as well as abroad.

Alexander and Valentina Poletz
Minneapolis

Christmas column quite unfortunate

Dear Editor:

It is quite unfortunate that during these holy and sacred days of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the New Year and Theophany your Ukrainian Orthodox readers were subjected to ridicule and false facts found in the December 22, 1996, Faces and Places column titled "Christmas in Ukraine, 1996" by Myron Kuropas. Unfortunately, Dr. Kuropas has only added fuel to the fire in the area of ecumenical relations between the two traditional Ukrainian Churches in Ukraine and in the diaspora.

Although the entire article has an air of "the Orthodox are punishing the Catholics in Ukraine again," there are certain statements made by Dr. Kuropas that I would like to address.

The idea that a Ukrainian Orthodox family would be happier if their son or daughter married a Serbian Orthodox Christian rather than a Ukrainian Catholic man or woman is simply ridiculous. As a priest for 15 years, and previously as a seminarian for five years, I have never heard this. In fact I have always heard the exact opposite. When a Ukrainian Orthodox son or daughter married a Ukrainian Catholic, I always have heard, "it is good that they are marrying a 'nash' or 'nasha' (one of our own)." I cannot comment on whether or not the Ukrainian Catholic families are happier when their children marry Roman Catholics as opposed to Ukrainian Orthodox Christians.

Secondly, not everywhere are the tensions between Ukrainian Catholics and Ukrainian Orthodox still tense. I am very surprised that Dr. Kuropas, being very involved in one of the most vivid examples of ecumenical relations between Ukrainians, in Chicago, would make this statement.

For many years the Ukrainian Catholic Sobor of Ss. Volodymyr and Olha and the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr shared an altar together, and for many decades a warm receptive relationship followed that continues until this day. Unfortunately the exact opposite is true between the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of St. Nicholas, which for years was at hostile odds with their brothers and sisters in the Ukrainian Catholic Sobor of Ss. Volodymyr and Olha. Who does not remember the tragedy of Ukrainian Catholics throwing rocks at their own bishop?

In Boston, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Christ the King and my own Ukrainian Orthodox parish of St. Andrew has enjoyed a wonderful relationship for many years. The pastors of both churches serve together at all Ukrainian national holidays, and the two communities always come together to honor Ukrainian historical events. For example, the two churches came together and celebrated an ecumenical moleben and memorial in honor of the Chornobyl victims last year.

Dr. Kuropas' most regrettable comments concern the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Why does he use only negative adjectives to describe the Ukrainian Orthodox bishops? Such words are not used when describing the Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy. Seriously, is one group holier than the other? For example, Dr. Kuropas describes the Ukrainian Orthodox bishops by using such words as: "militant," "shady past," "former Soviet shill." These same terms can be used for the former president of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, the present president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, and thousands of representatives and diplomats who today, for the most part, support and work for a free and independent Ukraine.

Whatever Dr. Kuropas thinks of Patriarch Filaret is irrelevant. Patriarch Filaret has been chosen by a large portion of faithful Ukrainian Orthodox Christians in Ukraine to shepherd a Church that is loyal to a free and independent Ukrainian state. No one questions the horrible events of torture and destruction of Ukraine, its churches and people during the years of tsarist and Soviet rule. However, this is no longer 1686, or 1917, or 1946.

Finally, the idea that Ukraine is a country where the majority of Christians are not Orthodox is simply bad journalism. When the unfortunate and reprehensible division of Ukrainian Orthodoxy ceases and they unite to elect one patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine, recognized by world Orthodoxy, it will be the second largest Orthodox Church in the world. No matter how they are divided, the vast majority of Christians in Ukraine refer to themselves as Orthodox. Where are the statistics that would prove otherwise?

Finally, as concerns the visit of the pope. Indeed Ukraine is a democratic country that should protect the rights of all its citizens with various or no religious affiliation. Of course the pope should come to Ukraine, maybe he will finally recognize the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church's difficult and martyred history and proclaim Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky a saint. Perhaps he will finally give the Ukrainian Catholic bishops the same rights and privileges in their own country that Roman Catholic bishops have enjoyed in Ukraine since independence. Perhaps he will intervene in the destruction of Ukrainian Catholic churches in Poland, and allow for more Ukrainian Catholic bishops to function in Poland, where a large number of Ukrainian Catholics reside. That would be the mark of a great man concerned with the religious rights of people who call him holy father. This should be the prayer of Ukrainian Catholics on Christmas as Ukrainian Orthodox pray for unity.

Archimandrite Andriy Partykevich Ph. D.
Boston

The letter writer is pastor of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Note from the editor:

Many readers have written or called to comment on Dr. Myron Kuropas' December 22 column titled "Christmas in Ukraine, 1996." Dr. Kuropas writes a column of opinion; it is neither a news report nor a feature article. The standards of news reporting and feature writing do not apply to a column. Thus, we are prompted to remind our readers of the following editorial policy:

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and commentaries on a variety of topics of concern to the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly editorial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association.

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