Moscow Patriarchy: No Compromise

The Moscow Patriarchy condemns Cardinal Liubomyr Huzar’s statement on the possibility of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) gaining patriarchal status. A UGCC Patriarchate in Ukraine would become another serious obstacle on the road to dialog with the Vatican. According to the Blagovest-Info/Agnuz Agency, Director of the Internal Church Relations Office of the Moscow Patriarchy (ICRO MP) Metropolitan Kirill (Gundiayev) said during an interview with the KNA agency, “Such a step would mean that the Vatican is setting up a patriarchate in the place where one already exists” (meaning the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine — Author). In his view, the relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican could improve after a meeting of the Pope and the Patriarch. However, such meeting would be possible only if the conditions laid down by the ROC are observed by the Holy See. If the Vatican fails to renounce its idea to give UGCC patriarchal status, any meeting of the heads of two Churches is excluded.

According to Moscow’s data, UGCC hierarchs have repeatedly called for their Church to be conferred the patriarchal status. Recently Cardinal Huzar stated that the Vatican is “studying ways” to found a patriarchate in Ukraine. According to certain information, Cardinal Huzar raised the question of such status at a Vatican meeting of the Congregation of Eastern Churches in November 2002, reports Blagovest-Info.

The Moscow Patriarchy also criticized Cardinal Liubomyr Huzar’s friendly gesture, his stated desire to meet with Moscow Patriarch Aleksiy II during his visit to Ukraine to discuss what he called the painful problems in the relationship between the Ukrainian and Russian Churches. The answer to the invitation was given by Archbishop of Lviv and Galicia (Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate) Avhustyn. He said, inter alia, “Being a constituent part of the Catholic Church, the Uniate Church has no right to send invitations independently to ROC leader on its own status and authority. They can ask for a meeting even in their main cathedral, that of St. George in Lviv, or send a personal invitation, but not on behalf of the Catholic Church, of which the UGCC is a constituent part.” In the opinion of the Orthodox archbishop, “This invitation can be viewed as incorrect and illiterate in both church and legal terms” (see the UOC Internet site Orthodoxy in Ukraine). Obviously, Moscow Orthodox politicians under any conditions remain true to their convictions, do not stop negotiations or compromise, and scrupulously observe church etiquette.