LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (01/20/02)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sobor participant shares observations

Dear Editor:

During the month of October, I had the privilege to be a lay delegate to the 16th Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-USA). Delegates could choose from 12 Sobor committee meetings with a specific topic of interest. I was deeply impressed by the varied subject matter discussed at the committee meetings. After thorough discussion, each committee agreed upon resolutions, which were later submitted before the entire Sobor for adoption. This indeed was "sobornopravnist" at work; I was truly amazed to watch democracy at work within our Church.

I attended two committee meetings: "Church Ministries" in the morning, and "Inter-Church Relations/Church in Ukraine" in the afternoon. The packed meeting room exemplified the magnitude of the delegates' interest in the fate of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Archbishop Vsevolod, Father Nakonechny and Dr. Lysyj provided very interesting information during this session. It was revealed that the diligent work of the hierachs of the UOC of USA helped convince His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to change his mind regarding the future "Pomisna" (Autocephalous) Church in Ukraine. One has only to compare Patriarch Bartholomew's statement in Odesa in the fall of 1997 and the Ecumenical Patriarchate's response to the Russian Orthodox Church on July 28, 2001, to understand his revolutionary change in attitude toward the Ukrainian Pomisna Church (see www.uocofusa.org).

Presenters at the "Inter-Church Relations/Church in Ukraine" committee stated that recognition by the Ecumenical Patriarchate was not a simple task. The Russian Orthodox Church and other government and lay institutions are still trying very hard to prevent or at least prolong the process of recognition of the Ukrainian Pomisna Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Not only is the Moscow Patriarchate interested in preserving the religious status quo in Ukraine, many Ukrainian citizens, including clergy of the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, anti-Ukrainian pro-Russian organizations, as well as the Communist Party of Ukraine are working against recognition of the Pomisna Church. The epitome of hypocrisy was the visit by the head of the Communist Party of Ukraine, the "pious" Petro Symonenko to Patriarch Alexei in Moscow and his report to the patriarch that Ukrainian communist deputies wrote a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew asking him to break all contacts with "non-canonical" Ukrainian Churches.

Sadly, it seems some people from the "Save Our UOC" group in this country are indirectly preserving the status quo of the separated Churches in Ukraine by denying the efforts of UOC-USA hierarchs towards recognition by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This group repeatedly rebelled against the policies of our Church and the hierarchs themselves. One can understand their predicament: when there will be one Pomisna Church in Ukraine recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch, the UOC of USA will most likely become one of its metropolia with the same hierarchs who lead it today. There will be no other church jurisdictions in the communion with the Kyivan See in this country. As Archbishop Vsevolod told the assembled delegates and guests during the sobor banquet, just as it is impossible to stop the flow of a river towards the sea, it will be impossible for Moscow to block the recognition of the Ukrainian Pomisna Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The election of the officers to the Metropolitan Council gave me hope for the future of our Church. What impressed me was that so many young people wanted to be elected to the Church's governing body. The enthusiasm of the young people to work for our Church gave me solace in that when the present older generation, including myself, depart from this world, my children and grandchildren will have a Church that will guide them throughout their lives. I left convinced that the Holy Spirit guided the delegates in their deliberations during this Sobor.

George Bazylevsky
Whitestone, N.Y.

UWC president's appeal is on the mark

Dear Editor:

Askold Lozynskyj's thoughtful article discusses the forthcoming elections, and I would endorse his call to the diaspora to understand that this election will decide Ukraine's fate. Independence has been achieved and will not be taken away. It is now time to contemplate what is being built within independent Ukraine.

Mr. Lozynskyj is wrong in only one aspect. The 1999 presidential elections were not accepted as free and fair by international organizations, such as the Organization for Security and Coopera-tion in Europe. In addition, the "Kuchmagate" tapes show how the executive used every possible means to ensure its victory (e.g., blackmailing state officials and even a fake assassination attempt).

Another disturbing trend is public opinion among Ukrainians on their political system. According to a recent poll conducted by the Oleksander Razumkov Center of Economic and Political Studies among Kyiv residents, only 19.8 percent of respondents believe that the forthcoming election will be more "democratic and transparent" than previous ballots in 1990, 1994 and 1998. Some 59.7 percent of respondents said "no" when asked if the elections will be held according to international standards and without pressure from the authorities.

This should give us greater resolve to support Mr. Lozynskyj's call to become involved in whatever manner we can.

Dr. Taras Kuzio
Toronto

The letter writer is research associate at the Center for Russian and East European Studies, University of Toronto.

Thanks to writer of Christmas stories

Dear Editor:

My thanks and compliments to Edward Andrushko on his Christmas stories. They are really special, reflecting the life of that generation of Ukrainian immigrants about which we should know more. They were the ones who so generously and kindly welcomed us, the DPs, in the late 1940s early 1950s, and they and their parents were the ones who established the foundation for all Ukrainians in the United States. I hope Mr. Andrusko will write more articles for The Weekly year-round, not just at Christmas.

Orysia Tracz
Winnipeg

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