Reply to Mr. Nicholas E. Denysenko on the Orthodox News
Service web page.
Editor:
First of all let me complement
you on your site and for printing articles and letters describing various
viewpoints. Most of our church
publications ignore and / or vilify differing viewpoints, so your web-site
serves as an excellent and essential point of discussion.
I am of Ukrainian decent and
have been following the reports and letters regarding the situation of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church with a great deal of interest. The recent letter submitted by Mr. Denysenko
was particularly revealing, and in my opinion illogical. Mr. Denysenko spent considerable time
admonishing the views expressed by Mr. Nahnybida, and then condemned the
“worship of national ideologies instead of our crucified Savior”. I guess that according to Mr. Denysenko all
of the ethnic Orthodox Churches in the US have it all wrong, and unless they
are willing to become part of the OCA, they are ignoring the teachings of
Christ.
Mr. Denysenko seems to have a
great deal of difficulty dealing with the desire of some Orthodox, specifically
Ukrainians, to want an independent church or to be united with their mother
church in their native land. Yet he
does not seem to have any difficulty dealing with the fact that the OCA was
established by the Moscow Patriarch and continues to have strong ties with this
mother church. I guess Russian
ethnicity is OK. I have no problem
with Mr. Denysenko feeling this way, and am glad he has found a church where he
can escape the horrors of Ukrainian patriotism. However, he should understand that not everyone believes that all
US Orthodox believers should strive for “one American Orthodox Church”. This does not make us less Christian than
the members of the OCA.
The UOC-USA was established on
certain principles, independence being foremost. The Ukrainians that joined this church, nurtured, built, and
enriched it, because it was a national church that preserved their native
traditions. On the brink of complete
annihilation by the Russians, the hierarchy of the UOC was forced to flee. Since its establishment in the US, the UOC-USA
represented a Church and a people that have fought for centuries against
foreign oppressors who tried to obliterate their national identity. As a student of history, Mr. Denysenko
should agree that the Russian Orthodox Church was a willingly and enthusiastically
participant in this effort. Much of the
leadership and clergy of the UOC-USA were patriots and former freedom-fighters
dedicated to preserving the Ukrainian identity. This is now derided as “nationalism” in the worst sense. These were people who defended their
country and their church, not only with prayers, but with arms and sometimes
their lives. The UOC served as the
torch-bearer for the Ukrainian cause and for freedom. Patriots and national heros were honored and commemorated. Children were taught in the Church schools,
not only to preserve the cultural heritage, but with the realization that
preserving the language was essential to insure the survival of the UOC for
future generations.
All Orthodox Churches throughout the
world have an ethnic identity – they are Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox,
Serbian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, etc., the national designation is part of
their definition. There is a reason
there is a Russian Orthodox Church in Athens where there is a plethora of Greek
Orthodox Churches, why there is a Russian Orthodox Church in Romania,
Jerusalem, etc. Although all celebrate
the same Liturgy, each nationality has imparted unique characteristics that
make their worship a personal and rich experience for that ethic group. Does this mean that all of these churches
worship “national ideologies instead of Christ”, and is Mr. Denysenko going to
advocate creating a “Orthodox Church of the World” modeled after the OCA.
I was amazed by Mr. Denysenko’s statement that we must obey our
bishops, or else we are bad Christians.
History has shown that bishops, Orthodox and others, are not
infallible. I believe that one of the
basic differences between us and the Catholics is that they believe and teach
that their chief bishop, the Pope, in infallible. The point is that bishops are human, not divine, and all humans
are capable of making mistakes. This
whole reasoning leads to the concept of “pay, pray, and obey”, which I believe
is foreign to Orthodox tradition.
Mr. Denysenko should heed the words of an extraordinary candid Saint:
"Now of the lion one need have no fear,
the leopard is a gentle creature, and even the snake you are terrified by is
likely to turn in flight; but there is one thing you must beware of, I assure
you. Bad Bishops. Don't be over-awed by the dignity of the throne. All have
dignity, yes; but not all have the Grace. Discard the outer clothing; watch for
the wolf. Words do not convince me; I must have deeds." - St. Gregory
Nazianzus
One last point: Mr. Denysenko
repeats the Moscow snippet that Patriarch Filaret has a wife and children and
that is why he was defrocked. No
mentioned of a family is made in the document published by the Blessed Bishops
Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Filaret was defrocked for one reason – he dared to defy
Moscow. It is interesting and telling
that Patriarch Filaret’s family was “discovered” only when he started opposing
Moscow’s dominance of the Ukrainian Church.
I do not believe that there is any family and condemn the standard
Russian tactic of personal destruction of people that oppose them. Shame on Mr. Denysenko for repeating this
snippet. On this same subject, there is
no way Patriarch Mstyslav would uphold or recognize any defrocking or sanction
by Moscow. He knew too well their
tactics, for according to Professor Meyerdorff Patriarch Mstyslav himself was
also sanctioned by the Russian Church.
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