As expected, Odessa UGCC issue gets worldwide attention

(RISU) - Representatives of European Churches and non-Church institutions expressed concern over the character and tone of the addresses of the press service of the Odesa Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and the addresses of Metropolitan Ahafanhel on the activity of Greek Catholics in Odesa and their right to have their own church in the city.

This position was expressed by them to representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) at several international scholarly and pastoral conferences.

“Experts noticed undiplomatic character of the statements and absurdity of the proofs on which the ban of the activity of UGCC in Odesa is based,” informs the press service of UGCC. In addition, as the Chief Church Counselor of the German Evangelical Church and a member of the Ecumenical Commission on dialogue with Orthodox Churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pastor Michael Gubner noted: “It is natural that it is difficult for us, representatives of another country, to understand the situation. I can only share the positive experience of Germany in this regard. In Germany, any Church wishing to build a church building of their own is faced with no obstacles in choosing and practicing its liturgical tradition and prayer life. Therefore, Greek Catholic and Orthodox churches are build next to Roman Catholic and Evangelical ones. Moreover, in our environment, Churches help other Churches to find a place for services or for construction of a new one. There is no fear of proselytism in Germany. All coexist and this coexistence facilitates fruitful dialogue between denominations.”

According to the Director of the Polish Ecumenical Council, Pastor Irenei Lukas, in view of the processes of migration, in the modern world, “creation of normal conditions of life, including the religious one, is quite a natural phenomenon.” “For Christians, migration is a reminder that we are wonderers on this earth, and for the Churches it means care for people coming to geographically new places of stay. In western Europe, we often deal with historical Churches. But in many places we witness establishment of new churches which, for a certain reason, appear in regions, where they did not exist in the past. One should also remember that the relations between churches are formed in the same way as between people. In the beginning, they require respect for each other as well as –I would not like it to sound with a pathos but it must be said – love for another person. I think it is a starting point of any relations,” said Irenei Lukas and noted that “in all places where there are Christians who need to pray in their tradition they should have churches.”

A member of the European Church Commission on Matters of Migrants, which is based in Brussels, Dr. Torsten Morits assured that he will inform the central European institutions about the situation in Odesa regarding the Greek Catholics and that he personally will monitor and study the situation of UGCC in Odesa.

According to the Head of the UGCC’s Committee for Promotion of Unity Between Christians, Fr. Dr. Ihor Shaban, of a surprise is the fact that no assessment of the statements of Metropolitan Ahafanhel of Odesa of UOC and of his eparchy was made by the official UOC-MP and its head. Fr. Ihor noted that it is even somewhat alarming.

He added that the unleashing of the information war against UGCC in the local and national Ukrainian mass media coincided with the meeting of the International Ecumenical Theological Work Team on Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue (which is held in Vienna on 21-26 September), “where the notion of the brotherly dialogue, empathy and love for other Christian denominations is dominant.”