Greek Churches Must Speak

LETTER TO EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: On the Orthodox Church in Ukraine

April 5, 2023

The National Herald

(Photo: TNH, File)

To the Editor:

The Greek-speaking world has always prided itself on its devotion to the faith of Christ and the Orthodox Church. As such, it is of extreme importance that we must raise our voices to condemn the barbaric persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its most important shrine, that of the Kiev Caves Lavra. From the strict point of view of canon law and Orthodox ecclesiology the Ukrainian Orthodox synod of Metropolitan Onuphry is the canonical Church of Ukraine. There is a schismatic entity called ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ which lacks canonicity, catholicity, and apostolicity. Its creation is in fact highly irregular and problematic and threatens to destroy Orthodox unity.

From a democratic standpoint, religious freedom and freedom of conscience are extremely important. This means that each individual has the right to follow whatever religion or faith that they like. In Greece for example, individuals may worship within the canonical Church of Greece, or they may worship among the old calendar churches. Or they may attend Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or Muslim services. The point is they have the right to worship as they like.

The Ukrainian government has effectively decided to outlaw the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. These are outright fascist policies that target an entire group of people because they worship within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which was always recognized by all Orthodox Churches (including Constantinople) as the canonical Church of Ukraine until 2018. The decision of individuals to worship within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a basic human right supported by the right to religious freedom and freedom of conscience.

The Ukrainian government has been seeking to evict over two hundred monks from the Kiev Caves Lavra, the holiest site in Ukraine. Kiev reasons that because the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is under the omophorion of the Patriarchate of Moscow there must be some sort of sinister political designs at work. This is like saying that Greek Orthodox in America and those parts of Greece (Crete, the Dodecanese islands, Mount Athos) that are under the Ecumenical Patriarchate must have some secret loyalty to the Turkish government.

Were Roman Catholics around the world disloyal to their own countries when Mussolini was in power, or when Rome was under Nazi occupation? We should remember that the Turkish government has in the past accused the Ecumenical Patriarchate of having political designs and has bestowed a policy of repression upon it.

The Greek speaking Orthodox churches must find their voices and must condemn the oppression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Greek Churches should remember the bravery of martyred Patriarch-Saint Gregory V, Metropolitan Chrysostom of Smyrna, Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens, and the late and beloved Archbishop Christodoulos who always spoke out against injustice.

Theodore Karakostas

Boston, MA