Vatican Update
[JUN. 25, 2001]
Catholic World News Service
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* POPE PURSUES UNITY IN UKRAINE
* VATICAN PRELATE QUESTIONS RUSSIAN HOSTILITY
* PAPAL SPOKESMAN EXPLAINS CHURCH-STATE TALKS IN UKRAINE
* MOSCOW PATRIARCH MAY REGRET RESISTANCE: VATICAN SPOKESMAN
* ORTHODOX PRIEST EXPLAINS SPLITS IN HIS CHURCH
* UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC ANALYSIZES RUSSIAN ATTITUDE
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POPE PURSUES UNITY IN UKRAINE
KIEV, Jun. 25, 01 (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II heavily emphasized
the
message of Christian unity during the first days of his visit to
Ukraine, and
he won a warm greeting from one of three rival leaders of the Ukrainian
Orthodox community.
[For a more detailed description of the Pope's visit, see today's CWN
Feature coverage.]
On Saturday evening, June 23, after a private session with President
Leonid
Kuchma, the Pope met with the political and cultural leaders of Ukraine
at a
reception in the Mariyinskyj presidential palace. The Holy Father urged
these influential leaders to serve the common good rather than private
interests. He laid heavy stress on the importance of regaining the
confidence
of the people, so that they would not be tempted to emigrate.
On Sunday morning, the Pope celebrated Mass in the Latin rite for a
crowd
that braved a light but persistent rain at the Chayka airport outside
Kiev. At
the first major liturgical celebration of his visit to Ukraine, the
Pope reflected
in his homily on the role of St. John the Baptist, urging the faithful
to follow
his example. He called the people's attention to the importance of
Baptism, as
the sacrament that unites all Christians, and exhorted them to work
toward a
revival of full Christian unity.
After that Mass, the Holy Father met with the Catholic bishops of
Ukraine, of
both Lain and Ukrainian rites. He remarked: "Among you there are still
some
men who had the experience of prison and persecution. I salute you with
great emotion." He went on to ask the bishops to work for Christian
unity,
noting that Ukraine furnishes an "ecclesial laboratory" in which the
Church
might discover ways of regaining full communion. He also reminded the
bishops that they must guard against unhealthy developments in their
society, preserving the family and the dignity of human life.
On Sunday afternoon, the Pope met with 20 other Christian leaders at
the
Philharmonic Palace. It was here that the Orthodox Patriarch Filaret
embraced him, saying that the papal visit "shows the world that
Catholics
and Orthodox can live together as brothers and sisters." The Pontiff
greeted
each Christian leader individually, then remarked to the group that all
believers must "follow the path of ecumenism with respect and courage."
On Monday morning the Pope again sounded the theme of ecumenism as he
presided Mass-- celebrated this time according to the Byzantine rite--
at the
Chayka airport. Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, the Major Archbishop of Lviv
and
leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, presided at the liturgical
celebration.
Pope John Paul delivered the homily, remarking that "the plurality of
traditions, rites and canonical disciplines" within the Catholic
Church, "far
from harming the unity of the Body of Christ, actually enriches the
Church,
through the gifts that each one brings." He also said that such
diversity
nourishes a missionary impulse, because: "There is no authentic
evangelization without full fraternal communion."
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VATICAN PRELATE QUESTIONS RUSSIAN HOSTILITY
KIEV, Jun 25, 01 (CWNews.com) -- Speaking to reporters who accompanied
Pope John Paul II on his flight from Rome to Kiev, Cardinal Walter
Kasper
said that he could not understand the accusations that Russian Orthodox
leaders have made against Ukrainian Catholics.
The president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity observed
that
while Orthodox critics have charged Catholics with engaging in
"proselytism,"
there is a profound disagreement about the meaning of that term.
"The Catholics do not accept that expression," he said, adding that
proselytism-- understood as the use of power and/or manipulation as a
means of effecting religious conversion-- is condemned by the Catholic
Church.
Turning to the accusations that Catholics have engaged in violence
against
the Orthodox during disputes over the ownership of parish properties,
Cardinal Kasper acknowledged that some clashes had occurred shortly
after
the Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic Church emerged from years of
political
oppression. Those few confrontations are now in the past, however, he
said;
today the accusations "do not correspond with the reality."
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PAPAL SPOKESMAN EXPLAINS CHURCH-STATE TALKS IN UKRAINE
KIEV, Jun 25, 01 (CWNews.com) -- In a briefing for reporters after the
first
day of Pope John Paul's visit to Ukraine, Vatican spokesman Joaquin
Navarro-Valls said that the main objects of discussion between the
Pontiff
and the country's political leaders were the juridical status of the
Catholic
Church and the principle of religious freedom.
Navarro-Valls said that the Holy Father had also spoken about the
status of
Catholic schools, seminaries, and theological institutes. The treatment
of
these institutions, he pointed out, would form a measure of the extent
to
which the country preserves and encourages religious liberty.
Pope John Paul has "cherished the dream, for quite a long time, of
visiting
Ukraine," the papal spokesman revealed. "Today he has realized that
dream,
and it gives him a profound joy."
Navarro-Valls also disclosed that several Ukrainians-- including
President
Leonid Kuchma-- had been surprised by the Pope's thorough command of
the Ukrainian language.
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MOSCOW PATRIARCH MAY REGRET RESISTANCE: VATICAN SPOKESMAN
KIEV, Jun 25, 01 (CWNews.com) -- After the Pope's encounter with other
Christian leaders on Sunday, Joaquin Navarro-Valls suggested that the
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksei II might regret his opposition to
the
papal visit in Ukraine.
The director of the Vatican press office told reporters that the
Russian
Patriarch would have second thoughts about his insistence that
Metropolitan
Vladimir of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-- the only Orthodox leader
recognized by Moscow-- avoid any official meeting with the Roman
Pontiff.
'When Aleksei II noticed the positive developments that the meeting
caused
in the atmosphere between Catholic and Orthodox Ukrainians, he will
only be
able to regret having asked Metropolitan Vladimir not to attend,"
Navarro-
Valls said. The papal spokesman predicted that the latest developments
would encourage the Russian patriarch "to take steps in the direction
of
Catholics."
If Russian Orthodox leaders do not recognize the trend toward
ecumenical
unity that is developing in Ukraine, Navarro-Valls continued, "they run
the
risk of missing the train of history."
Later, speaking to journalists after the celebration of a
Byzantine-rite liturgy
outside Kiev, Navarro-Valls commented on the "de facto unity" between
Orthodox and Catholic believers in Ukraine, which is "not always
recognized
by the hierarchy." He added that at times "the hierarchy ignores the
desires
of the faithful."
Still, he said, "The course of history cannot be stopped." In light of
the Pope's
persistent efforts to achieve unity, and the positive response from the
ordinary faithful, Navarro-Valls said, "Moscow will have to review its
attitude, and re-evaluate the situation."
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ORTHODOX PRIEST EXPLAINS SPLITS IN HIS CHURCH
KIEV, Jun 25, 01 (CWNews.com) -- Father Georges Mytsyk, an Orthodox
priest of the Patriarchate of Kiev-- which is viewed by the Russian
Orthodox
Church as "schismatic," offered reporters in Kiev an analysis of the
Russian
opposition to the papal visit to Ukraine.
Father Mytsyk, who is 49, was ordained to the Orthodox priesthood after
what he describes as an inadequate preparation, "because there was a
terrible shortage of priests." Today he is a professor of history and
sociology
at the University of Kiev.
The Orthodox priests reminded reporters that "Ukraine was attached to
Russia by force for 350 years." During that time the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church was subordinated to the Patriarchate of Moscow. "Since we are
politically independent today, we should be independent on religious
terms
as well," he reasons.
When Patriarch Filaret of Kiev-- who had been acknowledged as the head
of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-- was excommunicated by the Moscow
Patriarchate because of his outspoken stance in favor of independence,
Father Mytsyk cast his lot with the upstart Kiev Patriarchate. Filaret,
he had
concluded, was "closer to the people."
Father Mytsyk explained that in Orthodox churches of the Kiev
Patriarchate,
the people could pray in their own language, rather than in the Russian
language that was imposed in the parishes that remained loyal to
Moscow.
He added somewhat bitterly that the "official" Orthodox Church-- that
is, the
branch recognized by Moscow-- "is the only Church that does not
celebrate
Masses in memory of the victims of the artificial famine caused by the
Communists in 1933, which caused several million deaths in Ukraine."
Finally, the Orthodox priest charged that the Russian Orthodox Church
today
is following the unhappy example set by the Byzantine Empire, in which
"the
Church serves the State, and vice versa." He complained that the Moscow
Patriarchate "is virtually a department of the Russian foreign
ministry."
Father Mytsyk said that he looks forward anxiously to the day when the
Patriarchate of Kiev is recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople as the authentic voice of the Ukrainian Orthodox. That
recognition in turn will facilitate ecumenical ties with Catholics, he
said,
explaining that today such ties remain unofficial because of the
uncertain
status of the Kiev Church.
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UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC ANALYSIZES RUSSIAN ATTITUDE
KIEV, Jun 25, 01 (FIDES/CWNews.com) -- Why are the leaders of the
Russian
Orthodox Church so implacable in their opposition to the Pope's visit
to
Ukraine? The FIDES news service asked Father Stefano Caprio to answer
that
question.
Father Caprio is a Catholic missionary in Moscow, and an expert on
Russian
culture. As he sees it, the Orthodox hostility-- which emanates from
Moscow,
and finds its local expression in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under
the
leadership of Metropolitan Vladimir, who is recognized and backed by
Moscow-- is a product of Russia's unique history and culture. Asked by
FIDES why Metropolitan Vladimir would not meet with the Pope, he
answered the inquiry at length:
"This refusal of the Orthodox Metropolitan of Kiev, Vladimir, to meet
the
Pope of Rome is all in the spirit of modern Russia. For the rest of the
world
this attitude of closure is inexplicable. But for the Russian way of
thinking it
is perfectly comprehensible: standing alone, going against all logic
and
against the entire world and being proud of one's isolation, is a
trophy for
true Russian logic.
"A variety of reasons form this reversed position.
"First is national pride, which in Russia is expressed differently than
in other
countries. Being "Russian" does not mean proclaiming some particular
identity, or racist superiority; it is feeling of being absolutely
unique--
'different,' called to a special mission to the point of paradox. ('If
all the
world goes one way, we must go the other, come what may.') From this
point
of views sustaining the power of the Russian nation is not the goal,
but
rather the means of fulfilling a mission.
"Second, there is a religious reason, which is the result of the long
history of
Christian separations. The Russian Church is the 'youngest' of the
'ancient'
churches and it can impose its specific model only by declaring the
elder
sisters 'have deviated' into heresy. In this sense the meeting at the
Philharmonic Hall was a golden opportunity for Moscow Orthodoxy to
demonstrate its distance from the Christians of Rome, Constantinople,
and
Kiev and to stand out in the eyes of its faithful as the one incorrupt
Church!
"Third there is a 'spiritual' reason. Moscow's unshakable position is
expressed in a radically eschatological perception of the faith and of
the
latter's development in history. For many Russian Orthodox, the Third
Millennium is the final drama, the revelation of the Antichrist, of
which the
Pope is a symbol. It should not be forgotten that in Greece too there
were
monks who accused the Pope of being the Antichrist. 'Authentic
believers'
must reject any compromise with 'false prophets,' unreliable and
persuasive,
especially when they hold out a hand to offer 'hypocritical peace.'
Among
these false prophets they list, first of all, the various modern sects;
then the
congregations of heretical Catholics and Protestants; and lastly the
fringes
hiding even within the Orthodox flock-- liberal theologians who are
seen as
in need of extreme purification, until only the 'remnant of Israel'
remains.
Only this 'remnant' can represent the whole of humanity and act as
mediator
in front of the divine court, whose doors are already beginning to
open."