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_WORLD WATCH______________________________
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Uneasy preparations for papal trip
Orthodox group demands postponement
The Vatican has revised the official dates for Pope John Paul’s trip to Ukraine in June, saying that the trip will be from June 23 to 27 rather than June 21 to 24. The first dates were given in the official Vatican announcement of the trip on November 30, 2000. But the change was made after Cardinal Roberto Tucci, who generally does advance work for papal trips, traveled to Ukraine to discuss plans for the Pope’s visit. A tentative schedule calls for the Holy Father to spend two days in Kiev, then two days in Lviv. The latter city is the center of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, whose active presence—after years of suppression under the Soviet regime—has been a source of contention between Catholic and Orthodox believers.
In announcing the amended schedule, Vatican officials downplayed reports —first published by the Fides new agency—that Ukrainian Orthodox officials planned an official protest against the papal visit. One official, speaking anonymously, said: “Things seem to be improving between Catholic and Orthodox Ukrainians—much more than the repeated statements of the Moscow Patriarchate would indicate.”
On January 15, the Fides agency published a new report, claiming that a formal protest would come from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with clear support from the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church as well. Fides reported that the Ukrainian Orthodox synod, meeting in Kiev, had appointed Metropolitan Vladimir to write to Pope John Paul, expressing concerns that the papal visit would prompt new religious conflicts in Ukraine, and urging him to postpone the visit.
Responding to that story, the Vatican press office announced that plans for the papal visit were proceeding on schedule. Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters that no such Orthodox protest had been conveyed to the Holy See. “We have not yet received any such message,” he said.
The Orthodox Church in Ukraine has been split in recent years, with different groups claiming supremacy. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the largest group, is affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. The other two Orthodox groups in Ukraine are the “Patriarchate of Kiev,” led by Metropolitan Filaret, with about 2,000 parishes; and the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine, with about 1,000 parishes primarily in the eastern part of the country. Neither group has been widely recognized by other Orthodox church bodies. But the conflicts among Orthodox believers have complicated the ecumenical picture in Ukraine considerably.
The Moscow Patriarchate has persistently complained about the role of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which has vigorously emerged to rally believers and reclaim old parishes after years of suppression under the Communist regime. And in recent weeks sources in Moscow have indicated that the Patriarchate is also concerned that Pope John Paul might lend legitimacy to the competing Orthodox leaders in Ukraine by visiting them during his June trip.
Navarro-Valls brushed aside such concerns, however, emphasizing that “during his pastoral visit, the Pope will be meeting with Ukrainian Catholics.” Another Vatican source explained: “The Pope is well aware of the Orthodox sensitivities on this point, and will be careful not to offend any religious group in Ukraine.” In any event, Navarro-Valls told reporters on January 22, “The trip will go ahead as scheduled.”
On the day after that Vatican news conference, however, a Russian Orthodox news agency released portions of the rumored letter to Pope John Paul II, urging him to postpone his visit to Ukraine. When the Fides agency cited portions of that letter—confirming that it had obtained a copy of the document—a spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate commented: “The Russian Orthodox Church thinks the Pope’s planned visit to Ukraine is premature.”
After the Ukrainian Orthodox synod met in Kiev, the Radonezh Orthodox news agency released a statement that had been approved by the Orthodox bishops, authorizing Metropolitan Vladimir to send a message to Pope John Paul. “The letter contains a request to the Pope to postpone his visit to Ukraine,” the Radonezh report said. Radonezh also revealed that the 42 Orthodox bishops at the Kiev synod had given their unanimous approval to that request. The Orthodox bishops give two reasons for the Pope to postpone his visit: the tensions between the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic churches, and the current factionalism among Orthodox believers in Ukraine.
“If the Vatican really does ignore the request to postpone the papal visit to Ukraine, things can’t improve,” said Igor Vyzhanov, spokesman for Orthodox-Catholic relations at the Moscow Patriarchate. He told the Keston News Service, “They are already getting worse and worse.” In recent years Pope John Paul II has made official visits to the predominantly Orthodox countries of Romania and Georgia—but only with the agreement of the local Orthodox hierarchy, he noted.