UOC-USA to remain under EP if Ukraine made autocephalous

(RISU) - Upon receipt of the Tomos of autocephaly, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-USA will remain a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and will not join the One Local Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Anthony (Scherba) of the UOC-USA said this in an interview with the Voice of America.

“The UOC-USA is most likely to remain a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” the hierarch believes.

At the same time, he does not rule out that, in the long run, the Orthodox believers of America will join the newly established Ukrainian Church.

“I do not say this will never happen. I have abandoned the word “never” long ago, when Ukraine gained its independence,” he adds.

Metropolitan Anthony has also defined the condition under which this association might occur. “This may happen when the newly-established Church in Ukraine reaches a certain level of maturity and operates beyond the limits of political processes and personal ambitions and interests. But in any case, we will continue to communicate and for us it is the greatest blessing,” said the hierarch of the UOC-USA.

Comments

  1. Archimandrite GregoryAugust 2, 2018 at 2:28 PM

    Lord have mercy! Any thoughts as to what this really means? I pray not more Orthodox disunity in the making.

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    Replies
    1. JakeAugust 3, 2018 at 11:29 AM

      It really means...just more of the status quo. It has neither a positive nor negative affect on "Orthodox disunity" in NA or anywhere else. As someone in a UOC-USA mission parish and seminary student (just because it is my local parish - I have no ethnic Ukrainian background) I reluctantly agree with Met. Anthony here. I think that on balance, I will take the "political processes and personal ambitions" we suffer through being under the EP over those of Ukraine/Moscow...at least for the present.

      Delete
  2. r j klanckoAugust 2, 2018 at 7:34 PM

    as their adherents become americanized, note they are celebrating their centennial in america -- would they not be more successful if they were aligned as part of an american orthodox church that to be part of a foreign dominated one?

    they have circa 88 parishes, in 10 years this is expected to decline substantially. just look what happened to their canadian cousins between 1960 and 2010 regarding membership.

    one question, what size is considered to be a viable critical mass for survival?????

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    Replies
    1. mikeAugust 3, 2018 at 7:08 AM

      They do not have to worry about crossing the critical mass, as Phanar can keep them on life support for quite a long time. Just as they gave ACROD a Greek bishop for example.

      Delete
    2. JakeAugust 3, 2018 at 11:34 AM

      "what size is considered to be a viable critical mass for survival????? "

      Good question. No one really knows. How long can you go by selling off defunct properties here and there? What impact will the recent significant influx of new Ukrainian immigrants have (so far so good)? In the next 50 years when the chickens of the very rapid secularization of Orthodox faithful come home to roost, what will Orthodoxy in America (no mater what your jurisdiction is) look like?

      Delete
  3. cossack316August 3, 2018 at 11:51 AM

    In the end I believe the main reason for the UOCUSA to remain under the EP rather than join their mother church in Ukraine comes down to greed. Met Antony and Archbishop Daniel hold a lot a power over their 88 parishes including having many parishes amend their constitutions that rather the parish itself owning the parish property, the consistory in South Bound Brook owns the property so when these small parishes end up closing, Antony and Daniel get the proceeds to "supposedly" use for opening up mission parishes. However over the past 15 years, at least 10 parishes have closed and the proceeds have largely not been given to the mission parishes. The more curious issue is that since 1998, 15 UOCUSA parishes have left the UOCUSA to join the UOCKP including very large parishes in Clifton, NJ and Bloomingdale, IL. The parish boards voted to join the UOCKP. Many other UOCUSA parishes have shown an urge to unite with the Church in Ukraine, especially after it recieves its Tomos. Mind you the parishes that have shown the most interest are the more ethnic-Ukrainian parishes made up of 1st and 2nd generation Ukrainian immigrants. (There are however a large amount of parishes in the UOCUSA that are not very ethnic, made up of a large amount of converts and don't even use the name "Ukrainian" in the official title. Also, the parishes in the UOCofUSA that are the largest in terms of members are typically the more ethnic parishes. (Parishes that use English only in the UOCUSA are very small and often are in danger of closing in the next 10 years anyways.) I believe when the UOC in Ukraine recieves their Tomos, another 15-20 UOCofUSA parishes with join with them and the UOCofUSA will essentially become like ACROD, maybe 60 parishes predominately English speaking only, with little if any Ukrainian Ethnic traditions.

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  4. cossack316August 3, 2018 at 11:55 AM

    FYI, I find it a bit ironic that the night after Met Anthony made these comments, he ended up falling asleep at the wheel of his car, crashed, broke his ankle and 3 ribs, recently had surgery, and will be out of commission for months as he recovers. Another side note, both Met Antony and Archbishop Daniel are Eastern Catholic converts. Heck, Archbishop Daniel recieved much of his education in Catholic institutions: "A native of Ukraine, Archbishop Daniel (secular name: Volodymyr Zelinsky) was born in the small town of Buchach, Ternopil Region (similar to a state), Ukraine. He grew up in this region where he graduated from a local high school and enrolled in his first course of theological studies in the Seminary of Ivano-Frankivsk in September, 1993. Following his education in Ukraine, Volodymyr emigrated to the USA in 1996 to continue his education at the Catholic University of America as well as the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. During this time, he was ordained to the Holy Deaconate"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BortAugust 3, 2018 at 3:39 PM

      Metropolitan Antony was baptized at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He is not a convert.

      Delete
    2. cossack316August 3, 2018 at 4:52 PM

      I apologize David, i just checked with my UOCofUSA priest friend, the Sharbas were Ukie Catholics until the 1930's so Met Antony is NOT a convert. I apologize for that incorrect statement.

      Delete
  5. JakeAugust 3, 2018 at 1:22 PM

    Is there any real indication that a Tomos of autocephaly is imminent?

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  6. Archimandrite GregoryAugust 3, 2018 at 3:25 PM

    Hard to say, Jake. Just read that Patriarch Kyrill II is going to Constantinople at the end of this month. Let us wait and see>

    ReplyDelete
  7. rhartscAugust 4, 2018 at 10:43 AM

    I do not think autocephaly will happen. Perhaps a compromise is in the works? UOC-MP stays under Moscow as autonomous while UOC-KP and UOAC are offered to become an archdiocese under the EP. Needless to say any granting of autocephaly by the EP will cause an implosion of the Orthodox Church.

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