Russian Orthodox bishops meet in Moscow; focus on Ukrainian Church (08/27/00)

Russian Orthodox bishops meet in Moscow; focus on Ukrainian Church

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Approximately 150 bishops met in Moscow for a four-day Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church August 13-16. The situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine was one of the topics discussed by that forum.

According to RFE/RL Newsline, President Leonid Kuchma sent a telegram to the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Aleksei II, asking that the council of bishops consider the possibility of granting full autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate. According to Interfax, Mr. Kuchma's request was considered on August 15 by the council and was reportedly backed by "a number of bishops from western Ukraine led by Bishop of Vyshhorod Pavel." The forum, however, refused to consider the petition, saying that secular authorities should not interfere in Church affairs.

Currently, Ukraine has three Orthodox Churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. In Ukraine the Russian Orthodox Church recognizes only the Church that is subordinate to it, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, viewing followers of the other two Churches as "schismatics."

The official status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate is somewhat unclear. In the early 1990s, the Russian Orthodox Church granted its Ukrainian branch the right of self-governance. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate has its own synod of bishops; it is empowered to consecrate new bishops without any special authorization from Moscow; and it can also canonize its own saints. In many aspects, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate is an autonomous structure. However, the word "autonomous" does not appear in the Church's name or in any of the documents related to the Church.

According to the Moscow-based newspaper Segodnya, most believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, in particular those from Ukraine's eastern regions and Odesa, think that granting full autonomy to their Church will only further encourage those in Ukraine who want the full independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy from Moscow and the Russian Church.

Government officials in Ukraine have repeatedly voiced the opinion that Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches should be united into one, fully - autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a position rejected by the Russian bishops. Judging by the reaction of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kyiv's desire is strongly supported by Constantinople's Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who traditionally enjoys a special status among the world's Orthodox patriarchs.

Ukraine's Metropolitan of Odesa and Izmail, Agafangel, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, told Segodnya on August 17 that the Moscow forum condemned the Constantinople patriarch's "unprecedented interference" in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, meaning Estonia and Ukraine. [In 1996, some members of Estonia's Orthodox Church pledged juridical subordination to the Constantinople Patriarchate, but the Moscow Patriarchate has refused to acknowledge Constantinople's canonical rights over Estonia.]

"Patriarch Bartholomew declared Ukraine to be his canonical territory, which is a gross violation of Church canons," ITAR-TASS quoted Agafangel as saying. According to Agafangel, the "dissenters" [followers of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church] are planning to convene an All-Ukrainian Council of Bishops at which Metropolitan Volodymyr of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate will be forced to resign and pass his powers to the Constantinople Patriarchate's representative. Agafangel expressed his regret that Bartholomew is depending on the support of "Ukrainian nationalists and politicians who, in violation of the law, meddle in Church affairs," Interfax reported.

The newspaper Sobornost quoted him as saying, "Now the situation has been sharply worsened by the unprecedented interference of the patriarchate of Constantinople in the canonical affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In response to our appeal Patriarch Bartholomew sent a bitter letter. Recently, he has clearly wished to teach Moscow and the Russian Church a lesson, because he considers that it has become arrogant."

Some Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that talks on the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy were expected to take place in Chambessy, Switzerland, on August 20 with the participation of representatives from Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches, government officials, and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew. Thus far, there has been no confirmation that such a meeting took place.

Judging by the Russian Orthodox Church's position on Ukraine, which was reaffirmed at its Council of Bishops last week, such talks would be highly unlikely to yield any results. According to reports, the Moscow Patriarchate would allow the unification of the Ukrainian Churches only in one way - namely, as the "return of schismatics" under the wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which itself would continue to be in "canonical unity" with the Russian Orthodox Church, not with Constantinople and not as an independent Church.

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