Church history on
western Ukrainian lands
Essay By Roman Zakharii
Traditionally Ukrainian people (previously
known as Rusyn or Ruthenian) have always confessed Eastern
version of Christianity, as it was brought by Greek monk
missionaries from Byzantium. So, since the adoption of
Christianity western Ukrainians had always belonged to Orthodox
church under the authority of the Greek patriarch of
Constantinople.
However 400 years under the rule of
predominantly Roman Catholic Polish kingdom did not go unnoticed
for the local Orthodox Ukrainians. In the late 16th - early 17 th
centuries dramatic changes took place. A number of Ukrainian
Orthodox bishops gathered in Brest, broke with the Greek
patriarchate of Constantinople and concluded Union with Roman
Church and Vatican, on the condition that their church can
maintain its old Orthodox rites and liturgy style. This event is
known as Union of Brest of 1595. Hence was formed so called
Greek-Catholic church which subject to the Vatican. Followers of
this newly formed church became known as Greek-Catholics or
Uniates, as the remaining Orthodox refer to them.
This union with Vatican was not followed
quickly by all the Ukrainian Orthodox priests and people. In
Transcarpathia (Zakarpattya region) the Union with Rome was
accepted first by 63 priests in 1646 and in 1652 by all the
western Transcarpathia. Peremyshl (Przemysl) bishopric agreed to
the union with Catholics in 1692. Lvivīs Orthodox bishopric
– in 1700, Lutsk Orthodox bishopric - in 1702 and the
remaining Orthodox churches of Lviv - in 1708. And eventually
Ukrainians in Maramoros lands (north western Romania) – in
1716-21.
However in the north western Ukrainian lands
(area known as Volhyn or Volhynia) union with Vatican did not
last long as in 1795 this area was taken over by the Orthodox
Russian empire which quickly transformed newly baken
Greek-Catholics back into the Orthodox and cut their ties with
Rome.
Greek-Catholic church survived only in the
area which was under Austro-Hungarian rule (in 1772-1918) that is
Lvivska, Ternopilska (except its northern part), Ivano-Frankivska
and Zakarpatska oblasts (regions). In all other parts of Ukraine,
which were part of Russian empire Greek-Catholicism was only a
brief phenomenon and Orthodox church was quickly restored.
Exceptionary case is Bukovyna (Chernivtsi
region) which, even when being under Austrian rule remained
staunchly Orthodox. The same applies to much lesser extent to
Transcarpathia, where had always been strong Orthodox orientation
and alligience to the old tradition of ancient Rus (as Ukraine
and Belarus were known before).
Hence, today one may meet both types of
Ukrainian people from western Ukraine – those who identify
themselves as Greek-Catholic (often simply as Catholic) and
Orthodox (pravoslavnyj in Ukrainian). Natives of Galicia
(Halychyna) are nearly exclusively Greek-Catholics. Orthodox are
in minority on Galician lands.
During Soviet times Greek-Catholic church
was forbidden. In the late 1940-s the key Greek-Catholic
bishops had been executed by communists and in 1946 at the
council of Greek-Catholic priests decision (encouraged by Soviet
authorities) was taken to return to Orthodoxy, led by notorious
Havryyil Kostelnyk, who was convinced in the heretical deviations
of the modern Roman church. Those Greek-Catholic priest who
opposed the reunification were executed or persecuted. Ukrainian
Greek-Catholic church revived in 1990-s, though there had been a
bitter fighting with the Orthodox for the church buildings.
In modern age (from the 16-th cen. onwards),
western Ukraine produced several saints. Among them are Orthodox
saints:
Saint Job (Zalizo) of Pochayiv
Saint Amphilochius (Holovatiuk) of
Pochayiv
Saint Job (Kundra) of Mala Uholka.
Saint Alexy (Kabaliuk) of Yasinya
The uncorruption of their bodies after death
along with miracles taking place at their graves and during their
lives witnesses their sanctity. The incorrupt bodies of Saint Job
and Saint Amphilochius are preserved in the crypt of the Orthodox
monastery in shabby town of Pochayiv. The relics of Saint Alexy
are kept in Saint Nicholas monastery in the village of Iza in
Khust district and those of Saint Job Kundra in Mala Uholka of
Tyachiv district.
In the newer times, Greek-Catholic church
produced the following saints, whose bodies also had been
found incorrupt after their death :
Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych (his
incorrupt relics had been transferred to Rome)
Saint Vasyl Velychkovsky (immigrated and
died in Canada, where shrine had been erected in his name,which
also houses his incorrupt relics)
Saint Mykhaylyna Hordashevska
The Greek-Catholic church knew of several
stigmatics as well, among these Nastya Voloshyn and Stepan
Navrotskyy.
The major shrine of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic church is located in Lviv and is called Cathedral of Saint George (Sobor Sviatogo Yura in Ukrainian). However soon it is going to be moved to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where the new Greek-Catholic cathedral is being built and its called Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Patriarshyj Sobor Voskresinnya Khrystovoho). The main Ukrainian Orthodox church of Moscow patriarchate (at the moment the only canonical Orthodox church in western Ukraine) in Lviv bears also the name of Saint George. This is because Saint George had always beeb the patron saint of Ruthenian dukes of Kyiv and in general of Rus (Ukraine). For the Poles, the patron saints of Lviv were Saint Stanislaus Kostka and Saint Roch.
Currently, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic church is headed by Cardinal Lubomyr Huzar. The Orthodox bishop (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow patriarchate) for Lviv region is Avhustyn Voloshyn. There are also two Orthodox church groups (so far internationally unrecognized) spread in western Ukraine: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv patriarchate (UPTS KP) and Ukrainian Autocephaleous Orthodox church (UAPTS).
In 81 year old Pope John Paul II when
visiting Lviv beatified 27 Catholic people from western Ukraine,
those who suffered at hands of communist red terror.
Nota Bene:
Personally, if to express my subjective
opinion, I believe that Orthodox church preserved the original
Christian teaching and dogmas untouched following the teaching of
the Holy Fathers while modern Roman Catholicism deviated
signifcantly with a number of heretical innovations. Hence I
consider the Brest union 1595 with the Vatican as wrong and
harmful for the well-being of the average Ukrainian christians
with long lasting negative consequences.
For more details
see:
http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/major.religions/greek.catholic/historical.survey/ - The Ukrainian Greek Catholics: A Historical Survey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Brest
- Union of Brest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pochayiv_Lavra
- Pochayiv monastery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George's_Cathedral,_Lviv
– the central shrine of Greek-Catholics in Ukraine
About saints from
western Ukraine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_of_Pochayiv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphilochius_of_Pochayiv
http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/pdf/st_job.pdf
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Alexis_(Kabaliuk)_of_Carpathia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josaphat_Kuntsevych
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josaphata_Hordashevska
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasyl_Velychkovsky
http://www.bvmartyrshrine.com/
- Canadian Ukrainian Catholic Church of St Joseph in Winnipeg
where incorrupt body of Saint Vasyl Velychkovsky is preserved