August 02, 2016, catholicculture
The Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow has stepped up its
complaints against Ukrainian Catholic Church, demanding that the next
worldwide meeting of Orthodox leaders should discuss the status of
Eastern churches that are in communion with Rome.
At the same time, however, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
has issued a statement of friendship for the Ukrainian Catholic Church,
welcoming its support for the recent Orthodox council in Crete.
The Moscow patriarchate, which has complained for years about the
“uniate” Catholic Church in Ukraine, has redoubled those complaints,
charging that Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk has inflamed
hostility toward the Ukrianian Orthodox Church that is allied with
Moscow. The Catholic prelate, the Moscow patriarchate charged, has used
rhetoric “unprecedented in its aggressiveness toward the canonical
Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Moscow patriarchate.”
The statement from Moscow alluded to a statement from Archbishop
Shevchuk charging that “the Moscow patriarchate has often been used as a
tool in the hands of the aggressor.” The archbishop referred to the
Moscow patriarchate’s support for Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. (The
Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow patriarchate has been notably less
aggressive in its statements on the conflict in Ukraine.)
The Moscow patriarchate went on to say that the hostile attitude of
the Ukrainian Catholic Church has created an “emergency” which should be
addressed at the next meeting of Orthodox leaders. Referring to the
“uniate” churches as “a bleeding wound,” Moscow called for the
resumption of a discussion of their status. The statement from Moscow
blamed the same Ukrainian Catholic Church for having caused a disruption
of earlier discussions on that topic.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople sent a message of
thanks to Archbishop Shevchuk for his support of the Pan-Orthodox
Council held in Crete. Significantly, the statement from Constantinople
was addressed to “Patriarch” Shevchuk—giving the Ukrainian Catholic
leader a title that Moscow rejects and even the Vatican does not
acknowledge. In his message Patriarch Bartholomew promised his prayers
for “peace and stability in Ukraine.” He also strongly suggested that
Moscow’s hostility toward the Ukrainian Catholic Church was not shared
by other Orthodox bodies. The Ecumenical Patriarch said:
We can assure Your Eminence that our commitment to dialogue with our Sister Church was overwhelmingly supported in the conciliar sessions and officially recorded in the final document. This, in our opinion, is certainly crucial for reliable and unified witness to the Gospel in our troubled world and time.