Through its spokesman, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the Patriarchate is intensifying its attacks on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at moments of ecumenical encounter between Catholics and Orthodox in wider forums.
At the end of May, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow himself made false accusations against the Ukrainian Catholic Church, including laying responsibility for the Ukrainian civil society crisis at its door. See the report here with our response.
It is unworthy of the Metropolitan in a meeting for ecumenical dialogue to use it to attack other Christians on grounds that he knows to be false and on which he has repeatedly been challenged, yet proved unable to corroborate. Let us say this again:
(a) The schism within Orthodoxy in Ukraine, to which the Moscow Patriarchate is a contributory party, is not due to the activity or existence of the historic Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which seeks and maintains positive with all the Churches, included the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Metropolitan’s view that in Ukraine there should be a “single multinational Russian Orthodox Church” says all that is needed as to why there is such radical disagreement among Orthodox there (the largest part will not belong to or be subject to control from the Russian Church from outside the country)
(b) It was the Moscow Patriarchate that colluded with the Soviet regime to expropriate from, persecute forcibly convert from and for 60 years to suppress the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (whose existence is no less ancient and historic than the Moscow Patriarchate itself), a history that it has never faced or made reparation for
(c) The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, throughout the present crisis and before has loudly and insistently called for peace, justice, democracy, truth and honesty, the rule of law and the exclusion of strife whoever perpetrates it. Along with all the other churches in Ukraine it has been present to the people, offering pastoral and spiritual care, preventing violence, calling for peace and reconciliation, tending the dying and burying the dead. It has expressly forbidden any of the clergy to be involved in politics or political demonstrations. The hierarchy’s own addressing of civil matters has been to draw attention from the international community, in the hope of an intervention of peace and not force, to the suffering of the people under the injustices of a tyrannical regime (supported by the Russian government), which was manifestly corrupt and turned its arms on the defenceless people, and to the need for society’s stability to be supported through a return to truth, the rule of law, peace, human rights and democracy. It is wicked to
(d) The terms Unia and Uniate and Uniatism are offensive. The events of the 16th century relate to political conditions that no longer apply are their representation by the Metropolitan is tendentious and inaccurate. As in the West, there is a need for a process of mutual reconciliation and reparation – what St John Paul called the Healing of Memories – because (and her the Metropolitan is right) historical events and ruptures cast long shadows and continue to irritate old wounds and mutual suspicion. Surely, however, the right thing to do is to seek dialogue and reconciliation, rather than to perpetuate the recrimination and name calling. In contrast, whatever the Moscow Patriarchate says, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in communion with it conducts positive relations both bilaterally and in ecumenical structures with the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Patriarch Sviatoslav has repeatedly sought dialogue and reconciliation with the Patriarchate of Moscow but this has been ignored while Moscow will only talk to Rome direct and on the grandstand of ecumenical gatherings. Metropolitan Hilarion has been asked for decades to corroborate his claims that the UGCC has acted aggressively towards the Russian Church or that it poses a “special project of the Catholic Church aimed at undermining canonical Orthodoxy”. He has never been able to substantiate this beyond constantly repeating it. The Catholic Church has repeatedly repudiated “uniatism”, an approach, on the other hand that certain Orthodox churches historically have not refrained from using to proselytise among Western Christians including Catholics.
(e) It is contrary to every principle of ecumenism to attack another Church in the hope of dividing it. The Metropolitan complains of the “wedge of distrust”. This is what he accuses the UGCC of. Yet he himself seeks to divide Catholic from Catholic, on the basis of repeated misrepresentations about the Eastern Catholics, to establish a preferential relationship between Moscow and Roman Catholics that excludes Greek Catholics. The truth instead is that the Ukrainian Catholic Church is doing everything in its power to promote reconciliation with and among Orthodox, and between all Catholics and Orthodox.
(f) It is difficult to imagine how the speech that follows contributes to ecumenism when its view is that unity is all about the demands and prevailing of one side alone, especially when what it says is not only untrue, but expressed in such aggressive and wounding terms towards those who are manifestly committed to peace and reconciliation – and a respect for the Russian Church that asks for nothing more than mutual respect in return
Greetings by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk to the Participants of the 4th European Orthodox-Catholic Forum (Minsk, 2 – 6 June 2014), 3rd June 2014
Your Eminences and Graces, Esteemed Fathers and Brothers, Dear organizers and participants of the conference! On behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus and myself personally I would like to cordially greet all of the participants of the 4th European Orthodox-Catholic Forum, this year dedicated to the very relevant topic of religion and cultural pluralism: the challenges to the Christian Churches in Europe. I would like to note with satisfaction that our meetings have become quite regular. The format of interaction decided upon in 2008 has proved to be of use since it allows us to react swiftly to events happening in the world. Previous sessions were devoted to such problems as the family, the Church and state, the economic crisis and poverty. In the modern-day world there is not only an intensive dialogue of cultures but also cultures penetrate one another. These dynamic processes enable, on the one hand, the formation of a single world commonality, while on the other they enable a new means of examining the unique nature of various cultures. The demographic situation is changing, and intensive migration continues afoot. The aim of building a tolerant society often leads to the opposite of that of the desired effect. The Christian identity of Europe is under threat. These problems make themselves felt ever more acutely in everyday life and demand a serious theoretical analysis. However, in the present situation we cannot limit ourselves merely to the discussion of theoretical issues. We have to interact on a practical level too. Unfortunately, our forum is being held against the background of the sad events in the Ukraine. People are dying during this political stand-off while gunfire can still be heard on the streets and squares. The people remain deeply divided not only according to their political choices but also on religious lines. Sadly, the Greek Catholics have played a very destructive role in allowing this situation to develop. The words of their leading archbishop, hierarchs and clergy and an extremely politicized position have brought about the polarization of society and a worsening of the conflict which has already led to numerous victims. Unlike the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has been able during these difficult months to unite people of various political persuasions, including those who have found themselves on both sides of the barricades, the Uniates have ostentatiously associated themselves with only one of the belligerent forces. The aggressive words of the Uniates, actions directed at undermining the canonical Orthodox Church, active contacts with schismatics and the striving to divide a have caused great damage not only to the Ukraine and her citizens, but also to the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. All of this has put us back a great distance, reminding us of the times when the Orthodox and Catholics viewed each other not as friends but as rivals. Today once again it has been all the more obvious what the Orthodox knew – that the Unia was and, unfortunately, remains a special project of the Catholic Church aimed at undermining canonical Orthodoxy. It was here, in the country of Byelorussia, that the notorious ‘the Union of Brest’ of 1596 was concluded and which brought untold suffering to the Orthodox population of these lands. Allow me to use this platform to appeal to all our partners in the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue to do all that is possible to cool down the ‘hotheads’ among the Uniates, to halt the actions of the Greek Catholics in making the crisis in the Ukraine worse. Today one part of the Catholic Church is employing all her strength, talents and resources in strengthening Orthodox-Catholic interaction, while another (even though it enjoys autonomous status) is doing everything possible, as in former unfortunate times, to drive the wedge of distrust and enmity between Orthodox and Catholics. Our Forum, attended by Orthodox and Catholic theologians, is an important arena for both studying those issues that are of common interest and for achieving greater mutual understanding between our Churches. And I would like very much that our labours bore not only a theoretical nature but also be applied on the practical level in enabling the pacifying of enmity and the strengthening of Orthodox-Catholic interaction before the new challenges that confront us. I wish you all success in your forthcoming labours.