TORONTO — There have been a number of years of tension between the Vatican and the Ukrainian Catholic Church generated by demands for Vatican recognition of the existence of a Ukrainian patriarchate. The Pope has repeatedly assured Ukrainian Catholics that he is aware of the problems confronting their Church and that he has a «sincere desire» to find a solution to them. Ukrainians maintain that these are empty words. They charge that the Vatican has failed to 1) respect the rights guaranteed their Church by the Union of Brest in 1596, 2) protest the forceful incorporation of the Ukrainian Catholic Church into the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate, 3) defend the persecuted clergy and faithful who now constitute the Church of the Modern Catacombs.
This friction reached another peak with the ordination of three married seminarians to the priesthood on September 7.
The question of a married clergy has been a stumbling block in the relationship between Latin rite clergy and Ukrainian rite since the arrival of the first married Ukrainian priest on this continent at the end of the last century. A married clergy is a centuries-old tradition in the Ukrainian Church and has been a common practice down to recent years. The right to such a clergy was recognized by the Union of Brest at the time the Ukrainian Church entered into union with Rome. Despite this, Latin rite prelates have constantly objected to this practice when Ukrainian married priests performed their pastoral duties in places where there are Latin rite faithful. A dispute over this issue flared up with each influx of married Ukrainian priests. This September 7 marked the most recent one.
The Primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Josyf Cardinal Slipyj, in keeping with the traditions and rite of this Church, constantly ordained married seminarians to priesthood in Ukraine. He has continued to do so since coming to Rome. These seminarians, however, have all become priests of his diocese of Lviv. Among those whom he ordained was Fr. Eugene Halitski, pastor of Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church in Thunder Bay and Fr. George Kowalsky of Edmonton. Patriarch Josyf has maintained that he is not the only hierarch who can and should ordain married priests. Thus, when deacon Taras Lozynsky requested His Beatitude Josyf to ordain him to the priesthood, he was directed to go to his own bishop—Isidore Boretsky of Toronto. On September 7, his Auxiliary, Bishop Michael Rusnak, ordained three married seminarians: Andrew Kormanick, a deacon in the Slovak Church; Dr. John Girhiny from Hungarian Eastern rite parish in Hamilton; and Taras Lozynsky who for a period of two years had served as deacon in the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St. Demetrius in Weston.
The local Latin rite bishops—Bishop Reading and Bishop Carter— protested these ordinations. The matter was considered at the Ontario Bishops Conference of which the Eastern rite bishops are members. The Latin rite bishops favored the suspension of the three newly ordained priests, Bishop Boretsky responded: «This matter does not concern you. It is an internal question of our own. It is our decision to make whether or not to ordain married seminarians to the priesthood. We are completely within our rights to do this once such a decision has been made. A married clergy is part of our Church tradition and rite.»
Surprised at Bishop Boretsky’s stand, the Apostolic Delegate requested Bishop Rusnak to send the newly ordained priests letters of suspension requiring the recipients to return confirmation of receipt of the letter. Bishop Rusnak did as requested. Father Komarnick and Father Girhiny did so when they received the letter. Father Lozynsky did not. He is continuing to perform his duties as Assistant Pastor at St. Demetrius Church in Weston. Father Kormanick, the Slovak priest, is now serving in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
It is interesting to note that with the ordination of the three married seminarians, two other Ukrainian bishops from Canada and one from the United States have requested Bishop Rusnak to ordain married seminarians to priesthood for their dioceses. It is suggested that the present confrontation between Latin rite prelates on one side and Bishop Boretsky, his Auxiliary Bishop, and his clergy on the other can work to the good of all Eastern Catholic Churches.
The attempt to suspend the three recently ordained priests has caused Ukrainian Catholic priests who attended a retreat early in October to write a letter to Pope Paul VI protesting the «negative attitude of the Eastern Congregation» toward the Ukrainian Catholic Church and especially toward His Beatitude Josyf Cardinal Slipyj and the question of a Ukrainian patriarchate. Dated October 7 and signed by thirty-nine priests, the last paragraph of this letter reads:
We, Ukrainian Catholics in Canada, and may we add, in the free world, are rooted in history. We recognize and are thankful that God has called us to be His people in this particular nationality, this particular Church, and this particular Rite. We manifest our support for our beloved Patriarch and Father, Josyf Slipyj, and humbly beseech God that living with diversity and trusting in the Holy Spirit «All may be One.»
This is direct reference to the confrontation between the Vatican and the Ukrainian Catholic Church prelates and faithful which occurred this summer in Rome during the ceremonies when thousands of Ukrainians made their Holy Year Pilgrimage. The Primate of this Church Josyf Cardinal Slipyj, recognized by the Vatican as a Major-Archbishop (which gives him rights equal to a patriarch), signed himself as «Patriarch» when issuing this year’s Eastern Pastoral Letter; it was consequence of this, on May 5, 1975, Pope Paul VI received His Beatitude Josyf Slipyj in audience and reminded him that for the moment the Vatican cannot recognize the existence of a Ukrainian Patriarchate.
On May 24, 1975, the Pope reiterated his negative position in a letter addressed to Cardinal Slipyj and sent a copy to every Ukrainian bishop in the free world through the Apostolic Delegates.
The Ukrainian bishops kept the receipt of this let’ter from the knowledge of their people. They did not learn of its contents until they had arrived in Rome early in July for their Holy Year Pilgrimage. The reaction was completely contrary to the expectation of the Vatican.
On Saturday, July 12, seventeen Ukrainian Catholic bishops and 120 priests concelebrated a Holy Liturgy together with their Primate Josyf Cardinal Slipyj in the Basilica of St. Peter in the presence of four thousand faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. At this Liturgy Cardinal Slipyj was commemorated as «Patriarch of Lviv-Halych and all Rus.» At the end of the Liturgy the Basilica resounded with echoes of «Hail to our Patriarch.»
A similar commemoration took place the following day, Sunday, July 13, at the Church of St. Sophia on the grounds of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome.
That Sunday evening, a concert was held at the new Papal Audience Hall in honor of the Primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In the presence of 12 cardinals, the Vatican diplomatic corps, bishops, priests, nuns, and 7,000 laymen His Beatitude was addressed by all speakers as «Patriarch Josyf I.» He was given a rousing ovation when he rose to acknowledge the title of «Patriarch» bestowed upon him by the people of God of the Ukrainian Church.
In audience following these events, His Beatitude said to his people: «Whether this is pleasing to some or not, whether they want it or not, we Ukrainians have a patriarchate.»
On Monday, July 14, the Ukrainian Patriarchal World Federation called a press conference at the Columbus Hotel in Rome. It clearly stated that there was no retreat from the position that the Ukrainian Catholic Church has a patriarchate and its Patriarch is Josyf Slipyj. It stressed the historical fact that no Eastern Catholic patriarchate was ever established by the Holy See. Each came into existence by the will of the faithful of that Particular Church and only in time was it recognized by the Vatican.
These developments troubled Roman authorities to the point of causing Vatican spokesman Federico Alessandrini to issue a statement to the effect that the Pope refuses to «grant Cardinal Slipyj the title and power of patriarch» and that only a minority of Ukrainians desired a patriarchate. The question arises on what basis Alessandrini made such a statement. At no time did the Vatican conduct a poll to determine what percentage of Ukrainians desire a patriarchate. Judging by the spontaneous reaction of the faithful during all of the Primate’s appearances among them in his world travels, one could conclude that 95% of Ukrainians recognized him as their Patriarch.
The Vatican’s position is not acceptable to Ukrainian Catholics. The recent stand of the Ukrainian Catholic clergy from the Ukrainian Catholic diocese of Toronto on the issue of celibacy and the letter of October 7 to Pope Paul VI is the latest indication of the determination of the Ukrainian Catholics to win recognition for the autonomous administration of their Church.
