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Daniil Spassky.
Constantinople and Ukraine: church representations as a new turn in the church crisis
As political battles continue in Ukraine, the crisis flaring up around the Church there remains somewhat in the shadow. Certainly, notorious resignations and appointments of higher officers have overshadowed all other developments, but religious, political and public leaders are increasingly involved in a hot discussion on the opening of church representations of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine.
As was already reported, it is planned to provide overseas Varangians with churches initially in Lvov and Kiev. This situation looks utterly unsightly and absurd for several reasons at once.
Canonically, church representations are opened on a par, that is, if one Church opens its representation in the territory of another, the latter, on its part, opens its own representation in the territory of the former. All this usually takes place after preliminary negotiations. It is hardly worthwhile to mention that a canonical Church opens its representations only in the territory of another canonical Church. As has become known, Constantinople has not negotiated this matter with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the exchange of church representations has not been in point. Instead, the Fanar delegates have had intensive discussions on all this with the schismatics and state officials behind the back of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev. So much so that a bishop from Constantinople even attended a council of the so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church among the participants in which were anathemized Filaret Denisenko and Yuschenko’s adviser A.Sagan.
With regard to Constantinople, it is all clear: it cherishes the desire to enter the territory of Ukraine, to consolidate its grip on it and then to increase its presence disregarding the interests of the Ukrainian Church and its faithful. The matter is more complicated with regard to the state’s attitude. The present Ukrainian president nearly vowed in Maidan to prevent the state from interfering in church affairs, but now we see civil servants actively participating in the development and implementation of Constantinople’s project. It means that they either violate the will of the president thus setting him up or have his approval. But hasn’t he broken his word then?
Well, a few words now about possible consequences. It was not accidental that the chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Mitrofan, said that Yuschenko’s advisers seemed to misinterpret the developments. Though, if somebody is eager to obtain an acute public crisis on religious grounds on top of the political one, then the church representation project is best suited for the purpose. New divisions and disorders, growing social tension, aggravated contradictions and conflicts ending in almost complete failure to unite Ukrainian Orthodoxy - this is what awaits Ukraine if the project for opening Constantinople church representations is realized. |
