Patriarch Filaret concludes pastoral visit to U.S. (12/06/98)

Patriarch Filaret concludes pastoral visit to U.S.

by Irene Jarosewich

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) traveled to New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and New York during his U.S. visit from October 23 through November 15. The patriarch was on a pastoral visit to his parishes in the U.S., as well as to raise funds for the renovation of UOC-KP buildings in Ukraine. However, in a last-minute change of plans, immediately upon his arrival the patriarch met with hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. at the Consistory in South Bound Brook, N.J.

The hierarchs of the UOC-U.S.A. had extended an invitation to the patriarch shortly after the conclusion of the Church's Sobor on October 18. A motion had been approved at the Sobor asking that the Church hierarchs meet with Patriarch Filaret and Patriarch Dmytrii of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine with the intention that the Church hierarchs in the U.S. maintain a dialogue with the two Ukrainian Orthodox hierarchs from Ukraine.

Shortly after the meeting with Patriarch Filaret, the Rev. William Diakiw, vice-president of the UOC-U.S.A. Consistory stated that the meeting with the patriarch went well, that the patriarch was impressed with the Consistory and grounds, and that all prayed at the crypt of Patriarch Mstyslav. He noted that the Consistory had extended an invitation to Patriarch Dmytrii.

After his visit to South Bound Brook on October 23, Patriarch Filaret traveled on October 24 to the Parish of St. Nicholas in Cooper City, Fla., and then on October 30 to the Parish of St. Sophia in Chicago. The two parishes are among the four in the U.S. that have left the UOC-U.S.A. to join the Kyiv Patriarchate.

On November 6, Patriarch Filaret traveled to Cleveland, where he visited the other two parishes that joined the Kyiv Patriarchate, St. Stephen Church of the Millennium in Brunswick, Ohio, and Holy Trinity in North Royalton, Ohio.

The patriarch continued on to Detroit, where he was a hosted by the Parish of St. Andrew, and then returned to New Jersey, where he was jointly hosted by the parishes of St. Mary Protectress and Holy Ascension in Clifton. On November 14 he was the guest of honor at the opening of the Woskob art collection at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City and returned to Ukraine on November 15.

Traveling as part of the patriarch's delegation were Hegumen Dmytrii, Vitalii Karpenko, editor of Vechirnii Kyiv, and Oleksander Dykii from Radio Kyiv.

In each of the communities he visited, Patriarch Filaret spoke at public meetings and banquets attended by several hundred people, and participated in community events, most notably, commemorations of the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine.

Throughout his visit the patriarch emphasized his vision for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In Chicago, he stated, "now that Ukraine is independent, we must concern ourselves with unity, here and in Ukraine - unity in the form of turning our hearts to Kyiv, which is our holy city, the second Jerusalem for Ukrainians."

"We recognize the love Ukrainians in America have for Ukraine .... that America has given them the freedom to continue to love their homeland ... to cherish their roots. Cherishing your roots gives depth to spirituality; without roots, spirituality will become stunted, will eventually wither and dry up. ... This is important for young people to understand, and for parents ... that spiritual continuity comes from the roots," he said.

Patriarch Filaret's visit comes at a time when the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States is experiencing tension about its relationship with the Church in Ukraine. The hierarchs of the UOC-U.S.A. accepted the omophorion of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in 1995, a move that angered many of the faithful who feel that the decision was unwise. In turn, other faithful do not trust the person of Patriarch Filaret, citing his long history as a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the fact that the he is no longer a "legitimate" bishop, having been de-frocked by the Church in Moscow.

Of great concern to many of the faithful is the possibility that the Church in the U.S. will split even more, with additional parishes joining the Kyiv Patriarchate. During his U.S. visit Patriarch Filaret never encouraged or suggested that parishes leave the UOC-U.S.A. In Detroit, in response to questions about the possibility of additional parishes joining the Kyiv Patriarchate, he stated that he did not want to interfere in the internal matters of the UOC-U.S.A., rather "that the parishes - Ukrainians - themselves must say where they want to belong. However, we will be of assistance."

The patriarch did not concelebrate any religious services with clergy or hierarchs of the UOC-U.S.A. during his visit, proof for many of the faithful angry with their hierarchs' decision to join Constantinople that the division between the Church in the U.S. and the Church in Ukraine is not being bridged, but is being widened.

Citing figures reported in a research study published in a journal in Moscow, Patriarch Filaret stated that the Kyiv Patriarchate is the most powerful Orthodox Church on the territory of Ukraine. Whereas the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Partriarchate - the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine - has the largest number of actual church buildings and number of parishes, the Kyiv Patriarchate, with fewer buildings, has more than twice the number of faithful.

In Chicago, the patriarch pointed out that "today, the Kyiv Patriarchate has more faithful than the Patriarchates of Constantinople, of Alexandria, Antioch or Jerusalem combined ... that close to one-third of all Orthodox faithful worldwide live on the territory of Ukraine." He added, "I say that the future of the Ukrainian Church does not depend on either Moscow or Constantinople, the future of the Ukrainian Church depends on Ukraine, on Ukrainians."

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