Last week The Dayreported that the Moscow Patriarchate was preparing to take yet another drastic step in order to prevent the Pope’s visit to Ukraine. Two weeks ago, the foreign mass media learned that the Moscow chancellery had instructed the hierarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) to send a letter or, more precisely, official protest to Vatican. There were strong doubts about whether the protest would actually be worded in Kyiv.
Unfortunately, such surmises have proven all too true. The Synod and Council of the UOC MP hierarchy were urgently convened when the preparation to receive the Pope was at its height, the highest-level commission was set up, and after the President of Ukraine had announced his intention “to accompany” the Pope back to Rome. The Moscow hierarchy in Ukraine called upon Pope John Paul II “to postpone the visit” and hurled charges at the Vatican saying, in particular, that the visit would take place without notification of and official invitation by the (Moscow) UOC. On the other hand, they hinted that, “after settlement of relations between the Greek Catholics and Orthodox believers in Western Ukraine,” such an invitation would never be issued (this is like saying, “I will gladly pay you on a Tuesday”). It is worth recalling that the problem of papal visit was discussed more than once in Moscow at the highest clerical level with representatives of the Roman Curia, that the Pope was invited by the Ukrainian Catholics (numbering about 6 million in this country) and by all branches of government in Ukraine.
Also interesting is the part of the appeal or the protest where the UOC hierarchy cautions the Pope against any contacts with “the leaders of separatists,” especially with “Pseudopatriarch” Filaret (what mortal and absolutely un-Christian hatred of the Kyiv Patriarch). The UOC heads forgot that Pope John Paul II has a long history of communication with people of different faiths, confessions, and churches. It is difficult to understand why the Orthodox believers object that the Pope will meet in Kyiv with the heads and representatives of different religions and churches who wish to do so. The logic is clear, but in its appeal the Moscow Church regards such possibility as “neglect of canonical relations between the churches and brazen intervention in its internal affairs.” The opinion of Patriarch Filaret is far more sober if not exactly refined: “Why scream? The Pope will come and go, it will not cause any revolution.” This is true since there is no reason for turning the Pontiff’s visit into a global catastrophe. Look, even die-hard Comandante Fidel Castro received and treated the Pope as a dignitary of the highest rank.
The worst thing in the UOC MP appeal is that the hierarchy tries to hit the most sensitive areas in the Pontiff’s activity. They threaten him, a man who worked hard during his pontificate on strengthening the unity of the Christian world, with breaking contacts with Orthodox believers (What kind of Orthodox believers? Do they live in Rumania or Georgia, countries already visited by the Pope?), in the end of the epoch of the Second Vatican Council. The Moscow Church obviously attributes almost apocalyptic significance to the visit, thereby turning the whole thing into a phantasmagoria .
On 23 January the Holy See confirmed that the visit of Pope John Paul II would take place June 23-27, 2001. In particular, that statement was made in connection with the objections of the UOC MP. Meanwhile, the government and Ukrainian Catholics are preparing to meet the Vicar of Christ. The commission to prepare the state visit is headed by Foreign Minister Zlenko. It is expected that over one million pilgrims will come to Lviv to meet the Pontiff, so local authorities will have to work hard (frankly, I am not certain Lviv is able to accommodate so many people). It is planned that the Pope will conduct services in Lviv and in Kyiv, two in each.
Could it be true that the Moscow Patriarchate believes that its blackmail diplomacy will attain its goals? Could it be true that the Ukrainian authorities will again postpone their invitation? Is it possible that the Holy See is able to disappoint the Christian faithful in Ukraine?
