The Plight of Eastern Catholics in Russia

That Eastern Catholics living in Russia would continue to suffer repression by the government there comes as no surprise.  That the Vatican itself would join forces with Moscow in keeping them underground is . . .

Recently, Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Yulian Gbur said that all Eastern-Rite Catholic parishes in Russia are underground.

When the Moscow Greek-Catholic community tried to register with the government, they were told that this was impossible without the supporting signature of their Catholic bishop.

Since the Eastern Catholic exarchate in Russia is under a Vatican-imposed mandate, the church administration is therefore under the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Russia, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz.

According to Bishop Gbur, the Archbishop refused to sign the Moscow community's registration saying that this would be "bad for the Catholic Church."

Ukrainian Catholic priest Father Sergy Golovanov confirmed that this was indeed the situation in western Russia (please note he's not referring to Ukraine!).

This priest has a web-site on the Eastern Catholic Churches in Russia and frequently receives messages from them complaining that they cannot have their own parishes as this would make for bad relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.

"It is currently easier to be a Greek Catholic Russian in Munich or Paris than here, where we have become victims of this policy," Father Golovanov said.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop's office has confirmed all this, but said the Moscow Greek Catholic community is perfectly "happy" not to be registered.  How "happy" they are cannot be determined, since they did not speak on their own behalf.

As an issue of human and religious rights, this is undoubtedly an outrageous matter.  Vatican political chicanery aside, the direct repression of the Eastern Catholic Rite in this manner by none other than the Roman Catholic Archbishop has to be one for the record books.  

No wonder, one might observe, the Vatican and Moscow are so "tight" with each other.  Birds of a feather, it would seem . . .

The Eastern Catholics involved include Ukrainians, Russians, Belorussians, Siberians and even Old Rite Uniates.  The foundation of the Unia agreement has always been that the Eastern Rite traditions would not be Latinized, much less outrightly forbidden to exist!

If the Vatican really wanted to get into Moscow's good books, perhaps it shouldn't stop with the Eastern Catholics.

Russians have historically resented (read "hated") the Roman Catholic Church, coming in through Poland, as its old enemy.  The Vatican should therefore really consider removing the Archbishop himself from Russian soil as an "unnecessary provocation" of the Orthodox people of Russia!

There are also many in Ukraine who would be offended by the Pope's visit there since he is considered a heretic.  Isn't that something the Vatican ost-politicians should be looking at as well?

One cannot keep everyone happy.  But does this mean that the Eastern Catholics, once again, are the sacrificial lamb in Vatican-Moscow relations?

And why should Eastern Catholic priests and bishops have to resort to defending themselves before Roman Catholic prelates?  Doesn't the Russian government give them enough trouble already?

Looking on a (cynical) bright side to all this, perhaps the Vatican will eventually impose similar restrictions on the Ukrainian Catholic Church in western Ukraine. 

When and if that happens, let's see how many Ukrainian Uniates would be willing, in such a case, to be in ecclesial servitude under a Roman Catholic prelate in their own, free country! 

All in all, this is a clear example of bad manners on the part of the Vatican. 

If Rome doesn't want the Eastern Catholics, it should simply tell them so and ask them to either leave or else join the Roman Rite.

On the other hand, actions do speak louder than words.

Dr. Alexander Roman  alex@unicorne.org