By: Jaroslaw D. Buciora, berkleycenter
November 21, 2019
One of the most critical questions facing contemporary
Orthodox ecclesiology is the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in
Ukraine and the schism within Orthodoxy. On account of the magnitude of
this theme and the general misperception and manipulation of fundamental
facts of Orthodox ecclesiology, our particular attention will be paid
to the main ecclesiological principles of autocephaly and the
subsequential concept of the motherhood of the local church.
Autocephaly is not a destiny or a final goal of the
ecclesial independence of the local church, but a life-giving
possibility that allows people to express their longing for God
according to their specific conditions and expressions. At the present
time, there is no acceptable formula or procedure for establishing a
local autocephalous church. Although there are some characteristic
features concerning the recognition of an independent local church, the
mechanism of granting autocephaly needs to be agreed upon. The past
doesn’t provide an incontrovertible model for autocephaly at this time,
as there is no sacred canon that provides direction to the manner of
establishing autocephaly.
All of the local churches that were
granted autocephaly in the last two centuries based their ecclesial
independence on the fact that the particular nation managed to achieve
its political and territorial independence. This has to be strongly
emphasized as only those autocephalies given by the Ecumenical
Patriarchate are recognized and validated by the rest of the local
churches in the world. All the current autocephalies, starting from the
Russian Orthodox Church in 1589, proceed from the See of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. It is a very distinctive privilege and task given to the
Ecumenical Patriarchate by the Seven Ecumenical Councils, especially by
the Council in Trullo in 692, where it is said: “the See of
Constantinople shall have equal privileges with the See of the ancient
Rome, and shall be highly regarded in ecclesiological matters…” There is
no other local Orthodox church in the world which can claim the same
responsibility and prerogatives as the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This
tremendous ecclesiological prerogative draws its privileged position
from the consensus of the ecumenical council and its authenticity to the
truth. Until such time as the next ecumenical council will finally
resolve this issue, the task belongs exclusively to the Ecumenical See.
Mother Church:
The distinctive term used by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in regard to
the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, since the Christianization of Rus’ in
988, is the term: “Mother Church” from which the local church has
sprung. The Mother Church is the one who accepts the declaration of the
Daughter Church and the one who begins the process of recognition among
the other autocephalous churches on her behalf. The declaration presents
us with an ecclesial bond that is never broken by a third party—never
isolated, eradicated, transferred, suppressed, or politically and
territorially enslaved.
Because the local church in Ukraine was
under the canonical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople until 1686 and there is no ecclesiological or canonical
justification for the annexation of action done by the
Moscow Patriarchate, the matters of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine are
the matters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ecumenical Patriarchate
never rejected or relinquished its motherhood of the Orthodox Church in
Ukraine. The position by the Church of Constantinople is consequential
and uncompromised, especially in the last three centuries. Because of
this, the Patriarchate of Constantinople will never give away the right
of the Mother Church for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine as this is not
only a right of privilege, but it is also the internal component of the
historical ecclesial authenticity. As a consequence, on January 6, 2019,
the Mother Church of Constantinople declared the Daughter Church of
Ukraine to be holy, catholic, apostolic, and autocephalous.
The
current difficulties with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and schism
within world Orthodoxy in general have a canonical or ecclesial
character and as such, they could be characterized as canonical
abnormalities. Those components are not of doctrinal character that
could tear the Orthodox Church apart intrinsically. The schism within
the Orthodox Church in the world has a geopolitically oriented directive
caused mainly by the Moscow Patriarchate. The characterization of the
present rift within the Orthodox Church as the greatest Christian schism
since the East-West division of 1054, as portrayed by the Moscow
Patriarchate, is a gross violation of the definition of the Body of
Christ. This apocalyptic posture of the Moscow Patriarchate
characterizes Russian theological thought as locked to the defense of
xenophobic isolationism and religious fundamentalism. As a consequence,
the schism within Orthodoxy caused by the Moscow Patriarchate is only
one sided and temporary. While the East-West division in 1054 was caused
by doctrinal differences, the present rift follows the geopolitical
coordinates of the Kremlin and personal ambitions of the ecclesiastical
authorities. As a result, the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue will continue,
as the unity of the Body of Christ always overrides political ambitions
or human ideology.
Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine
brings a source of pride and dignity for Ukrainians who were deprived of
this essential anthropological element during the last three centuries.
From another perspective, challenges facing the Orthodox Church in
Ukraine are in large part multidimensional social and geopolitical
realities. Without overlooking all of the ecclesiological, geopolitical,
and historical events, the Orthodox Church in Ukraine stands again as
an equal with the other recognized autocephalous churches in the world.
Despite centuries of Russification, forced integration into the Moscow
Empire, constant persecution and deportation, subjugation to Tsarist
Russia, and ethnic cleansing, the nation of Ukraine, with its unique
calling, stands again to pray to God in its authentic, independent, and
ecclesial identity.