Catholic - Ortodox Relations in Ukraine

Ekumenski dijalog u današnjem svijetu postaje dužnost i nužnost. Svi učenici Isusa Krista dužni su poraditi na ujedinjenju kršćana i na taj način pridonijeti prestanku sablazni njihove razjedinjenosti. Osim toga, zauzimanje za jedinstvo kršćana postaje i nužda u sekulariziranom svijetu u kojem svi kršćani imaju iste protivnike: sjedne strane širenje vjerske ravnodušnosti a s druge rast vjerskih sljedbi koje su često u sukobu s naukom i praksom tradicionalnih kršćanskih Crkava i zajednica. Ovaj osvrt na važnu temu o ekumenskom dijalogu ima dva poglavlja. U prvome, kraćem dijelu, sadržane su tvrdnje uglavnom opće naravi. U drugome se iznose stavovi i konkretne činjenice sadašnje situacije u Ukrajini, s posebnim naglaskom na odnose Katoličke crkve i pravoslavnoga svijeta.After Vatican Council II, the Catholic Church improved ecumenical dialogue with other Churches and Church communities. Theological dialogue betvveen the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church is one of the most important signs of this ecumenical issue. Ecumenical dialogue is one of the pastoral priorities of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. This is evident from the various kinds of activities in which the Pope engages. It is especiallv visible from his teachings and his meetings with leaders of different Christian Churches held in the Vatican as well as during his apostolic trips. The visit of His Holiness to Ukraine, 23- 27 June 2001, gave an important ecumenical meaning especiallv for Christians living in this multi national and multi religious country. Ecumenical dialogue in Ukraine is complicated because of the existence of three Orthodox Churches in the country: Ukraine\u27s Orthodox Church which is in union with the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and is the canonical Church; Ukraine\u27s Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Kyiv and Ukraine\u27s Autocephalous Orthodox Church. In addition, the reorganisation of Ukraine\u27s Greek Catholic Church after the independence of Ukraine in 1991, has made relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches more complex. This is especially so since the 1990s when the Greek Catholic communities in Western Ukraine chose to return to their historic, traditional Greek Catholic Church with its church buildings. Actually, it is between the Greek Catholic Church and the two non-canonical Churches that more concrete problems exist concerning the properties of churches and ecclesiastic buildings than with Ukraine\u27s Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Representatives of this Church accuse the Catholic Church of proselvtism and invasion of their so-called Orthodox canonical territories. Obviouslv, the Catholic side does not accept these charges that are inconsistent with a modern, democratic State that respects libertj of conscience and religious freedom, which Ukraine proposes to be. Furthermore, the Catholic Church in the three Traditions (two Eastern: Greek Catholic and Armenian Catholic and one Western: Roman Catholic) have a deep roots in Ukraine. They have existed in Ukraine since the Baptism of Rus in 988, the time of the Great Prince Volodymyr. The Catholic Church holds the Orthodox Church in great esteem, considering her a Sister Church, and therefore should have relations, not of confrontation, but of collaboration and mutual support. The Catholic Church in Ukraine, then, is open to ecumenical dialogue and desires that the Ukraine Orthodox Church accept her offer to resolve entire mutual problems in a dialogue of charity and justice, in a spirit of sound human and Christian realism. This is the only way to reach the goal of full communion which Jesus Christ prayed for at the Last Supper: "ut unum sint"