MOSCOW: For many Russians, it is bad enough that the president of Ukraine is pushing to join NATO and to eject the Russian Navy from its Black Sea port. But over the weekend, the confrontation over Ukraine's attempts to shrug off Russian influence reached an even more painful emotional pitch - with a new tug of war over history, identity and power. President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine chose the 1,020th anniversary of the advent of Christianity in the Slavic kingdom that predated both Ukraine and Russia - a date that each country claims as a founding event of its nationhood - to issue a public plea for Ukraine's Orthodox Christians to gain independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. With Orthodox church notables from around the world looking on, Yushchenko asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the titular spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians, to bless the creation of an independent Ukrainian church - "a blessing," he said, "for a dream, for the truth, for a hope, for our state, for Ukraine." The Ukrainian president - who claims that Russian agents tried to murder him with poison that left him with a pockmarked face - snubbed the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Alexei II, giving him a businesslike handshake after warmly kissing Bartholomew on both cheeks.
MOSCOW: For many Russians, it is bad enough that the president of Ukraine is pushing to join NATO and to eject the Russian Navy from its Black Sea port. But over the weekend, the confrontation over Ukraine's attempts to shrug off Russian influence reached an even more painful emotional pitch - with a new tug of war over history, identity and power.
President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine chose the 1,020th anniversary of the advent of Christianity in the Slavic kingdom that predated both Ukraine and Russia - a date that each country claims as a founding event of its nationhood - to issue a public plea for Ukraine's Orthodox Christians to gain independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.
With Orthodox church notables from around the world looking on, Yushchenko asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the titular spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians, to bless the creation of an independent Ukrainian church - "a blessing," he said, "for a dream, for the truth, for a hope, for our state, for Ukraine."
The Ukrainian president - who claims that Russian agents tried to murder him with poison that left him with a pockmarked face - snubbed the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Alexei II, giving him a businesslike handshake after warmly kissing Bartholomew on both cheeks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches
So why not have one with their very own local patriarch. It would be par for the course. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Russian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Moscow and of all Russia) Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (de-facto autonomous) Moldovan Orthodox Church (territorial jurisdiction contested by the Romanian Church) Metropolis of Western Europe (proposed, but not instituted) Japanese Orthodox Church (autonomy not universally recognized[citation needed]) Belarusian exarchate Estonian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Latvian Orthodox Church Hungarian diocese Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (autonomous; union completed on May 17, 2007.)
However Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia and so on all have their own thing going on, so it makes sense Ukraine would too. And most other countries on that list. Like, uhm, Japan.
The only notable thing about this is, well, beside the silliness with which the Ukrainisn gov't. conducts itself, is that there are a sig. number of Russians in Ukraine. A sig. number of Russian-Ukrainians. How will they decide which church to attend?! lol. "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
How will they decide which church to attend?! l
This is easy: sure the one Yushchenko points to.
Even thought Orthodox religion is pretty hierarchial, many believers select a particular priest rather than a "church", therefore, they won't do whatever Yushenko tells them. Unless there's a high level deal and their local parishes change allegiance.
So why not have one with their very own local patriarch. It would be par for the course.
Yushchenko and his circle already have a Patriarch - Filaret of UOC (KP), issue is with believers.
I think right now he blames the alleged poisoning attempt on his political ally, Zhvania, and Ukrainian security services. Apparently 4 years of being in power was not enough for him and his political appointees to finish investigation.
Sounds like Yushchenko imagines himself to be L. Ron Hubbard.
I'm not versed in church politics and legalities, but the entire article is serious misrepresentation. There is Ukranian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the largest church in Ukraine with 68%+ of all Orthodox communities, then there is Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, a "separatist" branch which is supported by Ukrainian ultra-nationalist authorities. How he hopes to fold a bigger UOC (MP) into unrecognized UOC (KP) against the wishes of UOC (MP) believers is beyond my understanding. My guess is that what Patriarch Bartholomew could provide (but did not) was recognition of UOC (KP).
There is a Ukrainian movement to convince the world that the famines that killed millions of Soviets during forced collectivization was a genocide aimed at ethnic Ukrainians - while many Russians object that their ancestors, too, starved after being stripped of their private land.
It's not a movement, but an official Yushchenko's view of history.
Some historians consider the kingdom to be the predecessor of the three east Slavic nations existing today - Russia, Ukraine and Belarus - as well as a cultural high point in the medieval history of Europe as a whole.
I think all historians outside Yushchenko cicle consider that and the holiday was 1,020th anniversary of the advent Cristianity in Rus'. Yushchenko celebrated the advent Cristianity in Ukraine, though.
At a rock concert organized by the Moscow patriarchate, the popular rock band DDT performed alongside Metropolitan Kirill, a Moscow church spokesman who declared in a kind of ecclesiastical rap: "Russia, Ukraine, Belarus - That is Holy Rus!"
Shevchuk, the DDT leader, was asked if he was afraid that Ukranian authorities will ban him from entry to the country. Shevchuk said that he was not afraid of the authorities and anyhow by the time he is planning to perform next year Yuschenko and his ultra-nationalists will be voted out.
The Ukrainian president - who claims that Russian agents tried to murder him with poison that left him with a pockmarked face - snubbed the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Alexei II, giving him a businesslike handshake after warmly kissing Bartholomew on both cheeks. I think right now he blames the alleged poisoning attempt on his political ally, Zhvania, and Ukrainian security services. Apparently 4 years of being in power was not enough for him and his political appointees to finish investigation.
With Orthodox church notables from around the world looking on, Yushchenko asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the titular spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians, to bless the creation of an independent Ukrainian church - "a blessing," he said, "for a dream, for the truth, for a hope, for our state, for Ukraine." Sounds like Yushchenko imagines himself to be L. Ron Hubbard. I'm not versed in church politics and legalities, but the entire article is serious misrepresentation. There is Ukranian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the largest church in Ukraine with 68%+ of all Orthodox communities, then there is Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, a "separatist" branch which is supported by Ukrainian ultra-nationalist authorities. How he hopes to fold a bigger UOC (MP) into unrecognized UOC (KP) against the wishes of UOC (MP) believers is beyond my understanding. My guess is that what Patriarch Bartholomew could provide (but did not) was recognition of UOC (KP).
Has he been losing his populace?
Is this a last ditch attempt to ethnically divide the population for his own survival, an attempt that could end up in yet another inter-community genocide? Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
Whatever happened to the Yushchenko "poisoning" investigation?
Yushchenko, according to his current version, was poisoned at the meeting with the head of Ukrainian KGB and he accuses Zhvaniya, then his campaign manager.
Yushchenko's nationalistic party polls at 5% and his personal trust rating as a politician is around 5%-10%, so I don't think he has enough pull to engineer inter-community war.
That link is a self-congratulatory opinion piece but leads to this article Yushchenko believes ex-ally poisoned him and these quotes
Zhvania insisted on Thursday that Yushchenko's poisoning has yet to be proved. He dismissed Yushchenko's statement as "absolutely ill-considered and irresponsible" and said it shows his disregard for the rule of law. "Such actions of V Yushchenko don't disgrace him personally as much as they humiliate Ukraine in front of the international community," Zhvania said in a statement.
"Such actions of V Yushchenko don't disgrace him personally as much as they humiliate Ukraine in front of the international community," Zhvania said in a statement.
You gotta love nice phrasing like that.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday they had failed to find any suspects. But after being questioned by prosecutors earlier this week, Yushchenko hinted the investigation would produce some "very unpleasant" surprises.
So, Yushchenko is in front of the prosecutors so late in the game...often telling since at the end they often have enough data to trap the big mouse. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
The Ukrainian president - who claims that Russian agents tried to murder him with poison that left him with a pockmarked face
