The Establishment of a Single Orthodox Church in Ukraine

Question: 

I was browsing the website of the Russian Orthodox Church and found a page where it listed numerous Orthodox Churches that emphatically state that the only church that they recognize is the Russian church in Ukraine. They state that the other Ukrainian Churches are "schismatics" and must return to the authority of Patriarch Alexy. The churches listed are the Orthodox churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Albania, Poland, Slovakia, Orthodox Church of America, and the Church of Constantinople.

These churches say that the only solution is a " canonical " one. Should not Ukrainians be leery about a "canonical" solution. If I am correct, was not the the metropolitan of Moscow made a Patriarch in an uncanonical way, and was not the metropolia of Kiev given over to the Russian church also uncanonically. Our Glorious Ukrainian past has been taken from us by the Russian Church who is being aided by others such as the OCA . According to the history put forth by them, Kiev is Russian, Ukraine is Russian.

My long winded question is, are there any Canonical Orthodox Churches that support the establishment of a single Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by the Patriarch of Ukraine? If the will of the Ukrainian people support this so do the canons. The Russian Church is not the mother of the Ukrainian Church. The historical fact is that it is the other way around.

One other question, where does this leave our Ukrainian Churches in Canada and the U.S. Do we support the subordination of our brethren in Ukraine to the Russian Church since we are under the Patriarch of Constantinople?

Very Rev. Ihor Kutash kutash@unicorne.org 

As a matter of fact the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in the diaspora, which are in eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople DO in fact support the establishment - better yet, consolidation - of one Ukraine Orthodox Church headed by the Patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine.  Neither is this idea simply rejected by other Churches.  One of the major drawbacks,  as I understand it, is in fact the dissension among our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Ukraine: especially the two groups that essentially stand for the same thing, i.e. the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.  Were it not for their dissension something like the solution reached for the Church in Estonia - whereby a part is in the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow and another in the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople - might be applied as a transition state to the Church in Ukraine.  I understand that there are talks underway between the two Patriarchates.  It is significant, it seems to me, that one of the representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople at these consultations is Archbishop Vsevolod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA.  It would also be exceedingly useful, I believe, if the government of Ukraine were more supportive of such a solution.  But Church membership - and faith itself - is something that must be accepted and maintained voluntarily, and not coercively.  This means that patience, love, faith, tolerance, hope are required.  I do firmly believe that the ideal of which you speak - and which the diaspora Churches support - WILL ultimately arrive.  I do not have any idea as to when this will be.  But we can aim to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Ukrainian Orthodoxy