Moscow Patriarch Renews Complaints On Ukraine

VATICAN, Jun 11, 01 (CWNews.com) - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksei II has renewed his complaints about the impending visit by Pope John Paul II to Ukraine.

In an interview with the Italian daily Il Messaggero, the Russian Patriarch said the Pope's visit was unwelcome because the Catholic Church has not yet answered the persistent complaints of the Moscow Patriarchate about alleged "proselytism" by Catholics in traditionally Orthodox lands. Patriarch Aleksei said that a meeting between himself and the Roman Pontiff would be "premature" as long as Rome fails to answer his complaints. "Such a meeting should constitute not just a beginning but a confirmation: the crowning of an improvement in relations," he said.

Questioned about the statement made by Pope John Paul during his visit to Greece, in which the Pope asked pardon for any offenses committed by Catholics against their Orthodox brothers, Patriarch Aleksei said he was not satisfied. "Acts are more important than words," he said.

The Russian Orthodox leader went on to charge that the Catholic Church has not honored previous ecumenical commitments. "With deep regret, we must say that the agreements have remained purely on paper," he said. He then repeated his complaint that Catholics have used pressure and force to take over parish properties from the Ukrainian Orthodox. (The properties, in virtually all cases, were originally held by Catholics, but confiscated under the Communist regime and handed over to the Orthodox.)

From the Catholic perspective, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, the major archbishop of the Eastern-rite Ukrainian Orthodox Church, rejected Aleksei's charge. "The Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow is always repeating the same accusations, which do not match the actual situation," he said. Reporting that Catholics have cooperated freely with the Orthodox in Ukraine, Cardinal Husar charged that the Russian Orthodox leadership opposed the papal visit for "psychological" reasons. "The obstacle they keep putting in the way are only excused for their own intransigence," he complained.

Tensions between Catholics and Orthodox in Ukraine are complicated by divisions among the Orthodox faithful. There are three different groups contending for the right to speak for the Ukrainian Orthodox. The Moscow Patriarchate, which backs one of these groups, contends that the others are "schismatic" and should not be given equal treatment. But the competing groups are not insignificant; the Patriarchate of Kiev controls 2,000 parishes; the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine controls another 1,000.

Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update
11. juni 2001