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COMMENT ON FB
I paused posting about the situation in the Ukrainian Church to take a much-needed vacation. A few thoughts in this new year:
1) There will be no reversal; Patriarch Bartholomew will give the Tomos
of autocephaly to Metropolitan Epiphanius on Sunday, and the OCU will
begin 2019 as a canonical autocephalous Church.
2) Recognition
of the OCU will arrive - some churches will recognize it immediately,
others will take their time, and some will (and already have) refuse to
recognize it.
3) Buried beneath the intrigue of personalities
and the immoral polemical war is a serious examination of the
ecclesiology of the OCU's statute. In short, the statute promotes
conciliarity and lay participation. For those interested in more, see
the many online publications of Fr. Cyril Hovorun, who has cut through the media buzz to identify the ecclesiological features of the OCU's statute.
3.a) Several cohorts of Ukrainian intellectuals, pastors, and
theologians are discussing what autocephaly means for the OCU and for
the Ukrainian people. Their discussions are serious, and are essentially
about how the OCU can become the body of Christ in a struggling
country. In other words, one cannot reduce this to subordination to this
or that bishop. These intellectuals deserve our attention, respect, and
support.
4) Historians should not conceal the truth, and the
path to the December 15 council was messy and problematic. There are
many who are unhappy with the process. Historically, there is
opportunity for scholarly analysis here, and I hope to devote a project
to the December council. Keep in mind that messy councils are consistent
with Church history, so there is not much new here. Pastorally, the
result was the beginning of unification - this process remains
incomplete.
5) The unification process of Orthodox Ukrainians
remains difficult and complicated because of a 100-year old schism.
History suggests that employing the same strategies - a vicious
ecclesio-political blame game - will engender the same result, further
division. Reconciliation is possible, but only through dialogue. I
question the motivations of those who seek to sustain and renew the
polemical war.
6) A large percentage of the information
published about the Ukrainian Church online is dubious. Some of the
material is a Church variant of the 'National Enquirer'. For those with
the patience and discipline to learn, there is plenty of scholarly
material available in English generated by the field of Ukrainian
historiography.
7) Final comment: the situation involves real
flesh-and-blood people. It is not only about this or that bishop. The
media feeds suggest that this is a war among bearded men with black and
white hats. It has always been about people, and all of them - OCU, MP,
and the many Ukrainians who simply self-identify as 'Orthodox' - bear
the image of God, no matter how detestable one might find a statement or
interview. Please join me in praying for them all, that they would
discover peace and reconciliation
