LETTER TO THE EDITOR (06/02/02)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Church issues deserve public airing in Ukraine

Dear Editor:

First in the list of "issues" discussed by Askold Lozynskyj with Ukrainian parliamentary leaders ("Ukrainian World Congress president meets with bloc leaders in Ukraine," May 12) was "Ukrainian national Churches and their support by the government of Ukraine." I would hope that, in contrast to the indisputably worthy causes that follow it, this matter be treated as a genuinely debatable issue requiring careful consideration.

It is indisputable that Ukraine's traditional Churches are in poor financial condition. In a purely economic sense, it is difficult for them to compete with U.S.-based religious groups. Nonetheless, state support can lead to state control. As the experience of the Russian Orthodox Church demonstrates, this can result in corruption and serious moral compromise.

In the West popular participation in some state-supported national Churches, such as that of England, has dwindled. By contrast, religious institutions that have remained separate from - and sometimes at odds with - the state enjoy immense popular support. The strength of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, like that of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, stems from its integrity in resisting a Communist regime. In the U.S., churches' independence of the state has undoubtedly been a factor in the vitality of American religion.

It must not be assumed, of course, that the strict separation of Church and state practiced in the U.S. is an appropriate model for Ukraine. But the state can support religion without favoring any particular denomination - for example, through a church tax levelled on all citizens and accruing to the religious organization of their choice (as in Germany), or by promoting charitable donations. To single out "national" or "traditional" Churches for favorable treatment, however, would be to relegate them to the status of protected, and therefore weak and uncompetitive, wards of the state.

The future of Ukraine's Churches will depend not so much on their material resources as on their moral credibility. This, in turn, will depend on their ability to bear independent, critical Christian witness. There is a host of issues - from AIDS and abortion to corruption and the arms trade - on which any vigorous religious organization is bound, sooner or later, to confront the state. With every hryvnia received from the government, its ability to do so is weakened.

Before Ukraine's Churches, prompted by the diaspora, rush into the chilling embrace of the government, this matter should be given a full and open public discussion.

Andrew Sorokowski
Rockville, Md.

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