Concluding Part

By Maurice de Nessy

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The speed with which the Vatican replied, (within 18 days), as requested by Metropolitan Juvenal, as well as the tone of the letter sent displeased many Ukrainian leaders. Its message was firm enough, but it was expressed too softly and cautiously. Cardinal Slipyi himself was not very enthusiastic, but accepted that the identity of Ukrainian Catholicism had at least been reaffirmed. Besides, since his arrival in Rome he had been concentrating particularly on a matter which he considered a good deal more important, namely the question of the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchate.

Latin-rite Christians of the West attach relatively little importance to ecclesiastical titles, tending to consider them as manifestations of the vanity of prelates. The same is by no means true of the Eastern churches.

To understand the situation one has to go back to the early Church. As conversions increased communities inevitably grew up around the homes of principal Christian leaders, which were generally in major towns or cities. Contacts between these centres were not easy, and the various church leaders were only able to meet occasionally. Chief among such centres were, in historical order, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome. Their bishops came to adopt the title of "patriarch" in the fourth century.^* When the emperor Constantine founded his "New Rome" at Constantinople in 330 AD the local bishop gradually came to consider himself the equal of the Roman Pontiff, and he also began to style himself "patriarch".

In the course of time every Eastern Church having its own rite and administrative system, and with a distinctive history of its own, appointed itself a patriarch. The Ukrainian Catholic Church fulfilled all the conditions. It was ancient, having brought Christianity to Russia via the capital city, Kiev, in 988.^† After the 1917 revolution the Ukrainian Orthodox clergy tried to re-establish their autocephalous church, but the Soviets and the Moscow patriarchate joined forces to suppress it in 1930, and again in 1944. The only body which survived and which could lay claim to patriarchal status, and to which it was hoped the Orthodox would rally, was the free Ukrainian Catholic Church, i.e. the Church in exile. As soon as he was released, Metropolitan Slipyi, supported unanimously by his clergy and faithful, set about getting Rome to recognise his patriarchal status and rights. The campaign may be summed up chronologically as follows:

October 10th, 1963 — Cardinal Slipyi asked this recognition of Paul VI.

October 11th, 1963 — He spoke on the subject at Vatican II; "The recognition of our patriarchate is the only way to preserve the unity and the very existence of the Ukrainian Catholic Church." But the Council Fathers were more concerned with "opening up the Church to the world" than with what one of them called "this squabble over mitres."

December 23, 1963 — Pope Paul took a first step towards recognising the patriarchate by appointing Archbishop Slipyi "Senior Metropolitan", the ancient title of the archbishops of Kiev, and a position carrying with it rights equal to those currently enjoyed by the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. In 1980 John Paul II was to extend these to include also the right to nominate bishops to major sees.

September 29th to October 4th, 1969 — the ordinary synod of the metropolitans and exarchs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church met in Rome and passed a motion constituting a patriarchate, "The synod drew up and approved the constitution of the patriarchal structure of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and submitted it to his holiness the pope with the request that the Vicar of Christ raise the Senior Metropolitan See of the Ukrainian Church to the rank of a Patriarchate."

September, 1970 — during a Ukrainian Church rally at the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom, Fr. Werenfried van Straaten, to loud applause, declared to Cardinal Slipyi, "Your sufferings for the faith have made it possible to appeal to the whole of Christendom to support the recognition of the Ukrainian Patriarchate, with all its rights and its millennial traditions. Each of the Eastern Catholic Churches is an integral part of the one Catholic and universal Church, and recognition of your patriarchal rights demonstrates that that Church respects this fact."

December 13th, 1976 — Paul VI received Cardinal Slipyi and his six Ukrainian bishops in audience and brought up the delicate question of the patriarchate, "Permit us to mention the unease which is widespread among certain Ukrainian communities and their pastors. We refer to the claim for patriarchal status, which, in the present circumstances, the See of Rome does not consider it possible to grant...You must be aware that circumstances beyond the control of the Apostolic See^†† make it impossible for us to accede to this request which has been made so many times."

July 4th, 1977 — Speaking to Ukrainian pilgrims, the pope alluded to their "oppression by a situation which permits them no authentic national expression." This was seen as a clear reference to the question of the patriarchate.

October 2, 1977 — Cardinal Slipyi's 80th birthday: Paul VI addressed several thousand Ukrainians gathered in St. Peter's Square. As he was speaking, large yellow banners were held up bearing the message, "Ukrainians ask the Holy Father to recognise their patriarchate in the person of Cardinal Slipyi." But it is hard to read from such a distance...

September 10, 1978 — Cardinal Slipyi's secretary, Mgr. Prasko, stated that it was the wish of Ukrainian Catholics that the Cardinal be allowed to return to the Ukraine. "All the problems which at present prevent the Holy See from recognising his status as a patriarch will thereby be resolved," he claimed, and added, "For us, he already bears this title."

November 20, 1978 — The metropolitan and eleven other Ukrainian Catholic bishops meeting in synod in Rome were received in audience by Pope John Paul II. Once again the question of the patriarchate was discussed, and some sort of progress seemed to be made.

September 20, 1979 — In view of Cardinal Slipyi's advanced age, the pope appointed Mgr. Miroslav Liubachivsky as his coadjutor, and named him as Metropolitan of Philadelphia (USA).

October 4, 1979 — Speaking in Philadelphia, the pope showered praise on the Ukrainian Church, but also called with discreet firmness for "obedience, albeit for you a crucifixion, to the Church's discipline, and in particular, acceptance of certain decisions taken by my predecessor and myself which we have considered necessary for the overall good of the Body of Christ." John Paul was obviously referring to the patriarchate, and however apostolic his tone he displeased many Ukrainians and brought about a crisis in Ukrainian-Vatican relations. Strong opposition began to be voiced to the papal appointment of Mgr. Liubachivsky. Cardinal Slipyi, it was said, was the Patriarch and head of the Ukrainian Church, and the right to make such appointments belonged to him. The cardinal himself was highly displeased, and even wrote to the pope threatening to treat the consecration of his new coadjutor as invalid unless Mgr. Liubachivsky came to Rome to be raised to the episcopate at his own hands, thereby recognising his authority. John Paul "split the difference" by deciding that Cardinal Slipyi and himself would be co-consecrators, the ceremony to take place in Rome.

November 12, 1979 — Miroslav Liubachivsky was consecrated bishop in the Sistine Chapel by Cardinal Slipyi and Pope John Paul II, the latter on this occasion also officiating in the vestments of the Byzantine rite. The two consecrators blessed the congregation, which included ten cardinals, numerous other prelates, and 1500 Ukrainian faithful, with the three-branched cross of St. Andrew. The pope thus reaffirmed his authority while at the same time recognising that of Cardinal Slipyi.

December 10, 1981 — Cardinal Slipyi wrote out his "spiritual testament" (all 15 pages of which would be read 3 years later at his funeral). In it he recalled his famous intervention at the council on October 11, 1963. "It was," he wrote, "the first time in our history that the idea of the patriarchate had been put forward publicly and clearly at a general council of the Church. The idea was not, however, a new one. The metropolitans of Kiev already enjoyed patriarchal rights but had not the title of Patriarch, and they were keenly aware that patriarchal status is a clear sign of the maturity and autonomy of a church, and exercises a powerful influence both on the more obviously spiritual aspects of its life and on the life of its members in general." The moving document was signed "the humble Josyf, Patriarch and Cardinal."

On December 13, 1984 Cardinal Slipyi's funeral rites were celebrated by the new senior metropolitan, Miroslav Ivan Liubachivsky. Several times during the course of the liturgy he prayed aloud for "the Patriarch Josyf", and time and again the deacon exhorted the faithful to pray for "the new Patriarch Miroslav Ivan."

The Grand Exit

It was at the end of August, 1984 that Cardinal Slipyi contracted a serious case of pneumonia. He was ordered complete bedrest and thus had time to indulge in lengthy reflection. To those around him he concluded that he did not think that the 21 years since he had regained his freedom had been wasted. He would leave behind him a strong, well-organised, and vital Church and its impressive headquarters in Rome. Nevertheless, he would leave this world with three great sorrows in his heart. The first was that he would never again see his Ukrainian homeland. "Bury me in our cathedral of the Holy Wisdom in Rome," he wrote in his will, "and then when our holy Church and our nation shall be reborn in freedom, take my casket to the Ukraine and lay it in St. George's Cathedral at Lviv. Finally, if God wills and the people wish it, I should like to be laid to rest in the crypt of the cathedral of the Holy Wisdom in Kiev, when it has once more become a place of Christian worship, for did I not suffer many long years in the dungeons of the prison at Kiev?"

The cardinal's second sorrow was that he might well not live to celebrate the millennium of Christianity in the Ukraine in 1988. And then, of course, despite all his efforts, he had not been able to obtain Vatican recognition of the Ukrainian patriarchate. Now he had the added anxiety of witnessing the dangerous controversies arising from the militant attitude of the Ukrainian faithful on the matter. At the same time the objections which the Vatican had made were too worldly, and the underlying motives too unworthy for him not to feel bitterness. However, as we have seen, practically speaking, the old warrior had reached his goal, and those who would carry on his work were already behaving as though the problem were resolved in their favour, and that with the probable complicity of the Roman authorities, despite certain dissident voices.

Notwithstanding these reservations, Cardinal Slipyi was of the opinion that his "robust health and longevity had enabled him to harvest the fruits of his sufferings and to live to see the opening of a new era in the history of the Ukrainian Church." Suddenly, however, his condition worsened, and on the 7th of September, 1984 he peacefully surrendered his soul to God at the age of 92 years.

His funeral was celebrated amid great splendour in the magnificent basilica of the Holy Wisdom, built by him in 1969 for Ukrainian exiles. The celebrant was his successor, the patriarch Miroslav Ivan Liubachivsky, assisted by 14 Ukrainian archbishops and bishops. At the close of the ceremony came the reading of the poignant and ringing words of the Cardinal's spiritual testament. The thousands of his faithful people who were present did not hide their tears as they listened to their departed leader's counsels, his expressions of anguish and indignation. Only now could he speak his mind freely. We have already seen how in this document he gave voice to his opinion that the patriarchate was already established "de facto", and those who now heard his words concurred.

John Paul II was on a visit to Canada when he heard the news of the Cardinal's death. He immediately made the following statement to the press: "I shall always remember the Senior Metropolitan Slipyi, that confessor of the faith whom God has gathered to Himself. At a time of great hardship for the Ukrainian Catholic Church he was subjected to terrible sufferings, both physical and mental, but he never let his tormentors get the better of him. Like the hero he was he always resisted them with dignity." Back in Rome, on October 17th, the pope celebrated a solemn Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica for the repose of the Metropolitan's soul and spoke eloquently of him as a pastor and a martyr. "It is painful," he said, "to recall the passion which this innocent man had to undergo, yet his sufferings are also a proof of the Cardinal's intrepid faith and of the certain and final victory of love...We call upon our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, on behalf of persecuted Christians, and especially for our Ukrainian brethren, despised and rejected in their homeland and dispersed throughout the world..."

And so the mortal remains of the Senior Metropolitan Josef Slipyi were taken to their rest in the vault of the little Ukrainian capital he had built there in the Rome of the popes.

A Message From Beyond The Grave

"Defunctus adhuc loquitur." Heb. XI, 4 "He, being dead, yet speaketh."

Cardinal Slipyi is no more, but his message lives on.

It is a message of faith; a faith strong, enlightened, and confident in times of prosperity, and in adversity courageous, dogged and capable of suffering without wavering because certain of its reward in heaven; a dynamic and creative faith, yet at the same time gentle and joyous as it revives, reorganises, and rebuilds.

It is a message of hope which has spread out from its source to revive all the spiritual energy of its besieged homeland and arouse timid souls who had sought refuge in the shadow of fear. Assassination, aggression, sacrilege, incarceration—all are rife in the Ukraine. Humanly speaking, there seems no way out. Yet so many young men and women are going to suffering and death smiling at their torturers, that a brighter day must surely dawn. Josyf Terelja has spent eighteen of his forty-one years in prisons, gulags, and psychiatric hospitals. On his release he started an action group for the defense of the rights of believers and of the Church. "Every trial has its ending," he says, "and we are awaiting the end of our Calvary. After that will come the Resurrection!" We are amazed and overwhelmed by such inhumanity, but when the victims have leaders like Metropolitan Slipyi all things become possible, even in the face of apparently insuperable obstacles.

It is a cry for help. For the voices of the witnesses and participants in the greatest tragedy of all time are stifled in the West by people with at best a transient and superficial interest in the Soviet camps (and who are sometimes themselves their slaves in a sense). Such folk only bestir themselves to protest against anti-Soviet regimes: Pinochet, Apartheid, etc. Soviet outrages leave them unmoved. This attitude is nothing less than criminal. In spite of seventy years of overwhelming evidence, in spite of the deaths of countless thousands of believers, they still persist in deluding themselves that a compromise can be reached with the Marxist atheists. Regardless of the insistent cries of protest of a Cardinal Slipyi, the groans and the blood of persecuted men and women disturb the tranquility of businessmen's consciences and the activities of politicians, so the persecution of Christians is passed over in silence and the desperate appeals of the oppressed go into the waste paper baskets of the United Nations and the World Council of Churches.

The prophet Ezechiel was a prophet indeed when he said, "I will gather you together out of all the countries and will bring you into your own land... And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers: and you shall be my people and I will be your God." (Ez. XXXVI, 24-28).

The senior metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Josyf Slipyi, has returned to the Father, and through his intercession his countrymen will be enabled to return to the land of their ancestors in freedom and in gladness; and then,

"Made fertile by the blood of the martyrs, One day the soil of the Ukraine will flower again!" 

Notes

^*. The bishop of Rome had the title of "Patriarch of the West", and was in the unique position of exercising over the whole Church the power of Saint Peter (Malt. XVI, 18). Then, when the Peace of the Church was established by the Edict of Milan in 313 AD the Roman Patriarch took on the role of representative of all the Christian communities in their dealings with the Empire.

^†. The Patriarchate of Moscow (and of "all the Russias") only dates from 1589, in the reign of the famous Czar Boris Godounov.

^††. These "circumstances" are clearly the wrath of the Soviets and the consequent fury of their lackies: Pimen, Juvenal, and the rest. One really begins to wonder...