1997: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Our Churches: strides toward reconciliation
Strides towards inter-confessional and intra-confessional unity and reconcilation influenced many of the religious events this year, continuing a trend evident in both Ukraine and the diaspora in recent years. The violent nature of many of the battles over church property, personal harassment, threats and beatings that were the sorrow of Ukraine's religious life several years ago have decreased markedly. Nonetheless, tensions developed, most notably within the Orthodox confession, as well as certain tensions that carried over from 1996.
Tensions from previous year
The issue of a visit by Pope John Paul II to Ukraine, raised in 1996, continued to meet resistance in Ukraine from Orthodox hierarchs as well as many government officials. President Leonid Kuchma met with the papal nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Franco, in Kyiv on January 22. The papal nuncio reiterated the pope's desire to visit Ukraine, and though President Kuchma praised the pope, he also spoke of the need to create "appropriate conditions" for a papal state visit.
Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainain Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, after at first denouncing such a visit, in an interview on February 22, modified his stance and claimed that "we would welcome [such a visit] since it would benefit Ukraine and all Churches," but added that the issue of a visit "is a complex question."
President Kuchma, along with presidents from Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary, met with Pope John Paul II on June 3 during the pope's visit to Poland, yet no invitation for a state visit to Ukraine was extended.
The meeting between a delegation from the Holy See and the patriarch of Moscow held in Moscow on December 17-18, 1996, during which issues concerning the Orthodox Church and Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine, including the topics of expansion and evangelization, were discussed without representatives from either Ukrainian Church present, also exacerbated tensions on all sides.
A conflict in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) in Ukraine over issues of financial impropriety came to a head on November 19, 1996, and Patriarch Dymytrii was dismissed by the UAOC synod of bishops. This resulted in a split in the UAOC, and now four Orthodox Churches operate in Ukraine: two factions of the UAOC, as well as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) headed by Patriarch Filaret, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), headed by Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan.
The tension within the UAOC that resulted from the split was further exacerbated when on March 2 Bishop Ioan Boichuk quietly left the UAOC for the UOC-KP. Seminarians from the UOC-KP entered UAOC premises in Kyiv, physically evicted Patriarch Dymytrii and several bishops, occupied the chancery premises and confiscated financial records. Patriarch Dymytrii's dismissal had been predicated on accusations of financial impropriety, but in turn, Patriarch Dymytrii has denied the charges and instead has accused Patriarch Filaret of plotting the entire process in order to take over the UAOC.
Tensions between Russian and Ukrainian Churches
While tensions increased between the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine, tensions were evident also between the Russian and Ukrainian Churches. In January the leaders of the Ukrainian Republican Party issued a protest to President Kuchma over the "quiet transfer" to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate of artifacts, books and buildings located on the property of the Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves).
On February 20 the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) High Clerical Council, meeting in Moscow, formally excommunicated Mykhailo Denysenko, former ROC metropolitan and now Patriarch Filaret of the UOC-KP. Also excommunicated was the Rev. Gleb Yakunin, a human rights activist and member of the Russian Duma. The Rev. Yakunin believes he was excommunicated for stating that senior Russian Orthodox clergy had collaborated and cooperated with the KGB during the Soviet era. Patriarch Filaret claims he was excommunicated because he is trying to create one unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church outside the jurisdiction of Moscow. In his statement reacting to his excommunication by the ROC, Patriarch Filaret claimed that "he was in good company" because Hetman Ivan Mazepa also was excommunicated by the Russian Church.
A controversy between the Ukrainian and Russian Churches that affected the Orthodox Church in the diaspora as well began on September 24, when Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople responded to an invitation from Patriarch Aleksii of the ROC to meet in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, a meeting that excluded representatives of the UAOC and UOC-KP. The ecumenical patriarch was on a multi-city tour of Black Sea ports to promote ecological awareness in the region.
Subsequent press reports stated that the ecumenical patriarch, as a result of the meeting, had called for unity of all Ukrainian Orthodox Churches under Moscow. In his statement the ecumenical patriarch did call upon Patriarch Aleksii "to do his utmost for a successful resolution of the issues of Orthodox Church unity in Ukraine." The ecumenical patriarch also restated a historic reality: that the only canonical jurisdiction (authority that is recognized by the other Orthodox Churches as legitimate) of an Orthodox Church on the territory of Ukraine is that of the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarch Aleksii's press office interpreted these remarks and issued a statement that Patriarch Bartholomew had called upon the patriarch of Moscow to unite all the Orthodox in Ukraine under Moscow's jurisdiction.
These statements, as well as the subsequent press reports, caused great consternation among Ukrainian Orthodox faithful worldwide. Strong statements of protest about the meeting itself and about both statements were issued by the UOC-KP and the UAOC.
Rather than rely on press reports, Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and Diaspora headed a delegation that traveled to Constantinople on October 7. The ecumenical patriarch met with the delegation and, while he reaffirmed that "we recognize the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow as canonical here [in Ukraine]," he added, "we believe that this is not enough, that this does not solve the concrete problem which exists."
Tension between the Ukrainian and Russian Churches turned into conflict when on September 29 buildings that belonged to the UOC-KP were seized in Noginsk, a town on the outskirts of Moscow. In reaction to the seizure of their property, UOC-KP hierarchs faulted a new Russian law signed by President Boris Yeltsin on September 26 that severely limits activities of all religions that have not been registered with Moscow authorities for at least 15 years. For all intents and purposes, the new law curtails the activities of all religious faiths and denominations except for those of the Russian Orthodox Church, and of certain Muslim and Jewish organizations.
Close to 100 worshippers and clergy were seized, beaten and arrested in Noginsk, and buildings were occupied by the militia on order of the Moscow regional arbitration court. The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine issued a formal protest on October 7.
Emphasis on unity
In November of 1996, in a move to bring unity to the Orthodox Church outside of Ukraine, various Orthodox Churches united under the omophor of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople. On March 2 Bishop Vsevolod (Majdansky), former primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America (UOCA), was installed in Chicago by Metropolitan Constantine of the UOC-U.S.A. as archbishop of the Western Eparchy of the UOC-U.S.A.
In his remarks after his enthronement, Archbishop Vsevolod spoke of unifying the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox into one Church, citing Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky and Ukrainian Orthodox saint Petro Mohyla (Petro Mohyla was canonized by the UOC-KP at a special Sobor on December 12, 1996). Hierarchs of the Orthodox Churches in the diaspora stated that the unification of Orthodox Churches outside Ukraine is intended to serve as an example for the Churches in Ukraine.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made a pastoral visit to Ukrainian Orthodox faithful with a visit to St. Andrew Archdiocesan Center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. in South Bound Brook, N.J., on October 27. He was greeted by more than 1,200 faithful. He made no references to earlier press reports that alleged he had stated that all Orthodox Churches in Ukraine should unite under Moscow. He did stress reconciliation among all Orthodox faithful in Ukraine. His hosts, hierarchs of the UOC from the U.S. and Canada, stressed that unity in Ukraine must occur, and a canonical Ukrainian Church be recognized. These statements reiterated the position taken by the UOC-U.S.A. hierarchs in a statement released on October 14 that the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church seeks canonical autocephaly for Orthodoxy in Ukraine, but "will not wait idly" while the Church in Ukraine refuses to seek unity, and puts the spiritual life of the Church at risk.
Other steps towards reconciliation
Throughout the year, there were small, often symbolic, steps taken to encourage intra- and inter-confessional harmony. During the first week of January, a group of national deputies of the Verkhovna Rada held a press conference in which they issued a call for Orthodox unity for the sake of Ukraine and her people.
On April 16 a decision was made by Patriarch Filaret, Patriarch Dymytrii and the Rev. Serhii Prudko of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC), while meeting in Kyiv, to hold a joint ecumenical service in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv on Ukraine's Independence Day in August. They issued a statement that one faith is key to a strong Ukrainian nation and that the formation of a "pomisna" (particular) Orthodox Church would be historically proper.
In the Mariyinskyi Palace on July 21, with President Kuchma present, 15 representatives from Ukraine's various confessions signed a memorandum in which they promised to peacefully resolve inter-confessional disputes. The Memorandum of Christian Confessions in Ukraine on the Unacceptability of Using Force in Inter-confessional Relations was signed by representatives of the UOC-MP, the UOC-KP, the UGCC, both factions of the UAOC, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, Seventh Day Adventists, the Evangelical Baptist Church and the Lutheran Church.
Members of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops outside Ukraine held their annual convocation in Genk, Belgium, on July 1-2 during which they decided to dispatch a delegation to the World Forum of Ukrainians to be held in late August in Kyiv. On August 23 President Kuchma received a delegation of Orthodox bishops from the diaspora, which included Archbishop Vsevolod of the UOC-U.S.A., Bishop Yuriy of UOC-Canada, Bishop Jeremiah of UOC-South America, and Anatole Lysyj and Michael Heretz of the U.S. as advisors. The delegation also met with Patriarch Filaret, Patriarch Dymytrii and Bishop Ioann of the UOC-MP.
The delegation attended the World Forum of Ukrainians and participated in a roundtable discussion on spiritual unification. During his opening remarks at the World Forum, President Kuchma called for unity among the Orthodox Churches.
In reaction to statements made during the World Forum rountable, Bishop Lubomyr Husar, auxiliary to the archbishop major of the UGCC, said on September 3 in Kyiv that unifying all the various Christian confessions in Ukraine is an impossible task and that the Churches should look for "spiritual unification." "If we mean one confession," he stated, "that will be almost impossible. If we mean one Orthodox tradition, I think that is doable." He added that he hoped celebrations of the year 2000 would be the vehicle by which spiritual union could be achieved.
UAOC Metropolitan Petro Petrus of Lviv announced on October 29 that he is joining the UOC-KP, citing as his reason the desire to seek one unifed Church in Ukraine. On October 28, 150 parishes in the Lviv Metropolia of the UAOC joined the UOC-KP for the same reason.
In print
On January 30 the U.S. State Department issued its annual human rights report in which it praised Ukraine for "significant progress towards building a law-based civil society," at the same time focusing on several shortcomings. In the area of religious rights, Ukraine received generally high marks, though incidents of religious discrimination are evident, as well as "some government control of non-native religious groups." According to the report, Jews have "expanded opportunities to pursue their religious and cultural activities, but anti-Semitic incidents continue to occur" and the government is not prosecuting many violations of the law forbidding the sowing of inter-ethnic hatred.
In the April edition of the Kyiv-based journal Lyudyna i Svit (Man and the World), an article appeared concerning the religious situation in Ukraine. Among the information cited was that, whereas in Poland 83 percent of those surveyed claim to attend divine liturgy or prayer services at least once a month, only 20 percent in Ukraine, and 7 percent in Russia claim to do so. Nonetheless, 63.4 percent in Ukraine consider themselves to be religious believers, while 29.5 percent consider themselves to be non-believers, and 7.1 percent cannot decide.
Of the religious organizations registered in Ukraine, 52 percent are Orthodox, 24 percent are Protestant, 17 percent are Greek-Catholic, 4 percent are Roman Catholic, 1 percent are Muslim and 0.5 percent are Jewish. This differs from the results obtained from individual respondents. Of those who claim any religious identity, 71.8 percent claim to be Orthodox, 17.5 percent to be Greek-Catholic, 5.3 percent to be Muslim, only 2.2 percent to be Protestant, 1.6 percent to be Roman Catholic, 1.2 percent "simply believers" and 0.4 percent Jewish. The UOC-MP continues to claim the largest number of believers.
The American Jewish Committee released "Anti-Semitism World Report, 1996" on July 22. The report is issued annually, and this year's report listed the Jewish population in Ukraine at 450,000. The report assessed anti-Semitism in Ukraine as a "marginal phenomenon," though economic instability and an underdeveloped civic and political culture allow for acts of anti-Semitism to occur with little public reaction.
Religious leaders pass away
Within days of each other, two renowned religious leaders passed away this fall. Archbishop Volodymyr Sterniuk of the UGCC died on September 29 in Lviv. He was 90. A former Soviet political prisoner who had been imprisoned in the late 1940s and early 1950s following the Soviet liquidation of the UGCC, he served as bishop in the underground Church for several decades and became locum tenens of Lviv in 1972. On August 19, 1990, after spending almost his entire life clandestinely ministering to Ukrainian Catholic faithful, he openly celebrated a divine liturgy in St. George Cathedral, the first Ukrainian Catholic liturgy to be celebrated in the cathedral since the takeover by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1946. His funeral was attended by more than 13,000 people on October 2.
On October 4 the Rev. Olexa R. Harbuziuk, world leader of Ukrainian Evangelical Baptists, died in Chicago. He was 77. The Rev. Harbuziuk was a devoted religious leader who headed the All-Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Fellowship for 18 years, and was general secretary of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention for 28 years. He was buried on October 10.
Other notables
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 28, 1997, No. 52, Vol. LXV
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