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Posted by Greg on August 22, 2005 at 19:08:23:
In Reply to: Of course the UGCC should be in Kyiv posted by Natalia on August 22, 2005 at 02:11:53:
The issue isn't religious freedom. Of course everyone should be able to follow their own conscience. No one wants to interfere with the religious freedom of the Jews, Muslims, Baptists, Pentecostals, Roman Catholics, or anyone else.
The issue is that there are four religious groups in Ukraine who claim to the be legitimate heir to Ukraine's Byzantine rite heritage, the historic Kyivan Metropolia.
In Prince Vladimir's time, there was one Metropolitan of Kiev -- ONE, not four. At that time, Moscow was just a dirt track with a couple of houses, it didn't even rate a church, much less a bishop. Rome and Constantinople were too distant to make any demands of Prince Vladimir, which I'm sure suited him just fine. The Kievan Church was de facto self-governing.
1000+ years later, we lack the wisdom of Prince Vladimir and our ancient Slavic forebears. Why do Ukrainians invite these foreigners to govern their historic church? If Ukrainians can govern themselves politically, then why not ecclesiastically? Ukraine has had Orthodoxy longer than Moscow -- who are they to tell us anything? As for the Pope, he may be a nice guy, but we really don't need a Roman monarch to govern our Ukrainian Church.
: The whole UOC-MP/ROC line about "canonical territory" is a sham. Kyiv is not only the HQ for the Orthodox churches: MP, KP, UAOC, Old Believers, etc. Ukraine's Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, Charismatics and various Evangelicals have their head offices in Kyiv, too. So do its Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, not to mention the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Hare Krishnas, adherents of RUN Vira and home-grown cults like the Great White Brotherhood. So are we to understand that everyone is allowed in Kyiv except Catholics? What sort of Christian charity is that?
: If the ROC were really concerned about proselytism, they should've spent the last 15 years going after Protestant missionaries, who have been "poaching souls" on "traditionally Orthodox" territory for years.
: And just what sort of "societal split" or "religious tension" will this move supposedly bring? Just look at the opponents of the UGCC: Vitrenko, Vasylyev and Korchynsky. In other words, neo-Stalinists, chauvinists and fascists. Doesn't the term "fringe parties" spring immediately to mind? How many votes did Vitrenko get in the first round of the 2004 presidential elections? 1.53%. How about Korchynsky? 0.17%. This is just the pathetic last gasp of desperate and dying political movements.