Page Source: http://www.catholic-
forum.com/dcforum/tradition/317.html.
Message #0
Posted by "Sean O L"
Dear Fr Ambrose,
Of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, it is alleged that it "is a schismatic offshoot from the Russian Orthodox Church. Since they had no legally ordained
bishops to ordain more priests, the original priests or bishops were 'ordained' by laying the hands of a dead bishop on their heads."
It wouldn’t surprise me if what was behind the Pivarunas/Yurchyk liason is a desire (at least on the part of one of the parties) to strengthen claims to
Apostolic Succession.
Message #1
Posted by "Fr Ambrose"
Dear Sean,
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP)... is particularly worrying since it is headed by a self-declared Patriarch, Philaret Denisenko,
who is married (!) to a woman Mrs Evgenia Denisenko and has two daughters with her.
Message #5
Posted by "Sean O L"
Rico,
http://americamagazine.org/articles/roberson.htm
During the 20th century, any loosening of Russian control over Ukraine was accompanied by the formation of an autocephalous (independent) Ukrainian
Orthodox church.
The first emerged in 1921 during the brief period of Ukrainian independence, only to be suppressed by the Soviets in 1930.
The second formed behind German lines in 1942; but as the Soviets pushed back the Nazi armies, the church dissolved and the episcopate went into exile in
the United States.
In 1990, aware that Ukraine was moving towards independence, the Moscow Patriarchate granted autonomy to its Ukrainian metropolitanate under the
name of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (U.O.C.).
This did not prevent the head of the church in exile, Patriarch Mstyslav, from traveling to Ukraine in June 1990 to preside over the third emergence of the
autocephalous church. But he returned to the United States for reasons of health the following October.
The situation grew more complicated in 1992, when the U.O.C.'s Metropolitan Filaret (Denisenko) of Kiev was deposed by the Moscow Patriarchate because
of his attempts to distance his church further from Moscow. He then joined the autocephalous church and even claimed the title of locum tenens
(temporary substitute) in Mstyslav's absence. This was done without the knowledge of Mstyslav, who broke all ties with Filaret in November 1992.
This incident led to the division of the autocephalous movement into two camps: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate (U.O.C.K.P.), headed by
Filaret, who has been patriarch since 1995, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (U.A.O.C.), which remained faithful to Mstyslav.
Patriarch Mstyslav died in 1993, and his successor, Dimitri, died in February 2000. The U.A.O.C. has not yet elected a new patriarch because it hopes to
achieve reconciliation with the other Orthodox churches in Ukraine. Filaretwho is himself a very controversial personalitywas formally
excommunicated by an assembly of the entire episcopate of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1997. Moreover, neither of the two autocephalous bodies are
recognized by any other Orthodox church, and the U.O.C. remains the only canonical Orthodox church in Ukraine.
Overall about 55 percent of the Ukrainian population is Orthodox, but the relative size of the three groupings is a matter of dispute. According to statistics
provided by the Ukrainian government in 1999, the U.O.C. had 8,016 parishes and monasteries, while the U.O.C.K.P. had 2,195 and the U.A.O.C. had 1,024.
But all opinion polls conducted in Ukraine since 1992 have indicated that the majority of Orthodox believers support the U.O.C.K.P. Both of the non-canonical
jurisdictions have a large presence in western Ukraine, where nationalist sentiment is strongest; the U.O.C.K.P. is spread through other areas as well.
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/0007d.html
After the former metropolitan of Kiev, Filaret Denisenko, decided in 1991 with the support of the first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk to lead Ukrainian
Orthodoxy out of canonical subordination to Moscow he was excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox church and subjected to anathema. The
government of Ukraine continues to support Filaret and even has made his church the official confession of the Ukrainian army. But the majority of
russophone believers in the south, east, and central provinces of Ukraine continue to remain loyal to UPTsMP, which is not surprising. In Filaret's church
worship is conducted in Ukrainian. Believers are convinced that the support of Filaret by the Ukrainian authorities is an explicit measure for wiping out the
use of Russian.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Orthodoxia/message/1120
Message 1120
From: Antonis Papadopoulos
Date: Fri Dec 1, 2000 4:16 pm
Subject: Ukrainian Controversy News
http://www.oocities.org/frgeorgek/nn.html
PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW HAS CONCLUDED A TREATY WITH THE UKRAINIAN SCHISMATICS
ITAR-TASS / Orthodoxia 2000 - Kiev, November 13, 2000
The agreement on establishing a joint commission, which will deal with the problems of creating United Local Church in Ukraine, was signed in
Constantinople by the representatives of schismatic Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev
Patriarchate.
The correspondent of ITAR-TASS was informed of this on November 13th by the press office of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate.
The canonical Churchthe Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchatedidn't take part in the negotiatiions with the schismatics.
The document was signed on November 8th after the meeting of the delegations of the two Churches at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It
provides for "cessation of mutual accusations", ending the process of changing jurisdictions by parishes, communities and clergymen, temporary refusal of
canon-law actions (ordination of priests and removing them from the ranks of clergymen etc).
According to the agreement, all the steps of the Commission will be coordinated with Constantinople. It is supposed that after its work the Commission will
present its conclusions to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Constantinople in its turn, must define the "canon-law questions and status of archbishops and
clerics" of both churches, i.e. accordance of existing statuses of clergymen to canon laws and the hierarchy of the future Church.
As announced on Ukrainian television by the head of UPTs-KP, Patriarch Filaret Denisenko of Kiev and all-Ukraine, Patriarch Bartholomew expressed
support for the creation in Ukraine of an autocephalous Orthodox church since this "reflects historic traditions and current reality." According to Filaret, at
the end of the unification process in Ukraine "there will be an independent Ukrainian church and there will be a church subordinate to Moscow."
Message #6
Posted by "Fr Ambrose"
Dear Sean,
"...A leader in this campaign, the Polish Jesuit Josaphat Kuntsevich (now canonised, Saint Joseph Kuntsevich of Polotsk), admitted that he freely drowned the
Orthodox, chopped off their heads and profaned their churches; he ordered their dead bodies to be thrown to dogs."
Pope Saint Pius X stated: "Russia is the greatest enemy of the Church."
Saint Benjamin, Metropolitan of Kiev, the first of the Russian bishops to be martyred by the Bolsheviks in 1918, stated:
"You offer us unification…and all the while, behind our backs, your Latin priests are sowing ruin amongst our flocks"
Message #7
Posted by "Sean O L"
Dear Fr. Ambrose,
Let me say that I am ashamed for the actions of many bad personsboth clerical and laityin the Latin Church during the many past centuries. I
am proud that Pope John Paul II has publicly apologized for the sins of her sons during those times.
I am hopeful that there will be greater unification of all Christians of good will.
Message #8
Posted by "Fr Ambrose"
Dear Sean,
As to his (Yurchyk's) Apostolic Succession? By Orthodox theology it is meaningless and Yuri is simply a layman in schism.
"Patriarch" Filaret Denisenko of the UOC-KP, once a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been synodically deposed and excommunicated. In
Orthodox understanding (we have a different view of Apostolic Succession) this makes all his subsequent sacramental actions without grace. He simply is
NOT a bishop and he has no episcopal nor even priestly powers. To put it simply, when he says: "This is My body..." the Holy Spirit ignores him. The bread
remains bread. And when he says: "I ordain you a priest/bishop.." the Holy Spirit also ignores him. The Spirit cannot be "manipulated" to create schism and
division in the Church.
Message #9
Posted by "Sean O L"
"Mickey Mouse receives Donald Duck"
Dear Fr. Ambrose,
- Schismatic and excommunicated ThucitePivarunas is no more than a layman, without any power to receive even a genuine person into
communion with the Catholic Church. As a sedevacantist, Pivarunas believes that the Catholic Church of the Latin Tradition does not possess a
Popethat the Roman See is vacant, and probably the last pope to occupy it was Pope Pius XII. Some sedevacantists go so far as to claim that the last
valid pope was Pope Pius X!
- "Bishop" Yuri Yurchykalso a schismatic and excommunicated personis ecclesially powerless in virtue of his un-canonical and invalid
"consecration" (presumably by "Patriarch" Filaret Denisenko or a person "consecrated" by him), and has specifically not sought to be "reconciled" with the
Latin Church under the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.
- Both Pivarunas and Yurchyk, being laymen, simulate the Sacraments when they attempt to perform the Sacred Liturgy, and to distribute the other
Sacraments; thus they compound their blasphemies with further sacrileges and crimes.
- Putting it in a profane wayit is Mickey Mouse receiving Donald Duckbut, with far greater complications.
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