To be or not to be

An important event in Kyiv’s religious life took place on Dec. 13. That day the Ukrainian translation of the European Ecumenical Charter (Charta Oecumenica) was launched. The charter, which offers Christians “directions of cooperation among different churches of Europe,” was drawn up by two church organizations — the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), which represents the continent’s Roman Catholic bishops, and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), which comprises Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, Old-Catholic, and independent churches. It should be noted that none of the Ukrainian churches, in spite of the number of parishes and their historic importance, are part of the CEC.

What are the goals of the Ecumenical Charter of Europe? Why has ecclesiastical Ukraine been excluded from the European religious community?

Below is an abridged version of the most important provisions of the Ecumenical Charter, which identify the philosophy and duties of 21st-century European churches (the word “ecumenical” means “relating to the Christian Church throughout the world”).

“As the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) we are...firmly resolved to preserve and develop the fellowship that has grown up among us. Christ’s prayer is: ‘...that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you...’ Various forms of ecumenical cooperation have already proved themselves.

“Aware of our guilt and ready to repent, we must strive to overcome the divisions still existing among us, so that together we may credibly proclaim the message of the Gospel among all people.

“With the Gospel, we want to stand up for the dignity of the human person created in God’s image and, as churches together, contribute towards reconciling peoples and cultures.

“...As expressed in the ecumenical Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381, we believe in the Triune God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We therefore confess...that our paramount ecumenical task is to show this unity, which is always a gift of God.

“It is equally important for the whole people of God together to communicate the Gospel in the public domain, which also means responsible commitments to social and political issues.

“We commit ourselves to discuss our plans for evangelisation with other churches, entering into agreements with them and thus avoiding harmful competition and the risk of fresh divisions.

“It is important to acknowledge the spiritual riches of the different Christian traditions, to learn from one another and so to receive these gifts.

“We commit ourselves to eliminate prejudices, to seek mutual encounters and to be available to help one another.

“We commit ourselves to act together at all levels of church life, to defend the rights of minorities and to help reduce misunderstandings and prejudices between majority and minority churches in our countries.

“We commit ourselves to pray for one another and for Christian unity, to learn to know and appreciate the worship and other forms of spiritual life practiced by other churches, to move towards the goal of Eucharistic fellowship, to defend basic values against infringements of every kind.

“Christians have failed to prevent suffering and destruction from being inflicted by Europeans, both within Europe and beyond. We confess our share of responsibility for this guilt and ask God and our fellow human beings for forgiveness.

“On the basis of our Christian faith, we work towards a humane, socially conscious Europe...insist on the reverence for life, ...the preferential option for the poor, the readiness to forgive, and in all things compassion.

“As churches...we have to counteract the danger of Europe developing into an integrated West and a disintegrated East, and also take account of the North-South divide within Europe.

“We commit ourselves to counteract any form of nationalism which leads to the oppression of other peoples and national minorities.

“We deplore and condemn all manifestations of anti-Semitism, all outbreaks of hatred and persecutions. We ask God for forgiveness for anti-Jewish attitudes among Christians, and we ask our Jewish sisters and brothers for reconciliation. It is urgently necessary...to raise awareness of the deep bond existing between the Christian faith and Judaism...”

This noble charter was signed by Metropolitan Jeremie, President of Conference of European Churches, and Cardinal Miroslav Velk, President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences.

And what about us; what about the churches of Ukraine? How are our believers taking part in the overall humanistic trend of Europe’s Christian life? Unfortunately, so far our participation is minimal.

The situation is that today, the people of Ukraine, the people of an ancient Orthodox civilization, by far the largest Orthodox community in the world, is almost totally cut off from the Christian life of Europe and lives in medieval isolation. Is this right and just? Why is our Orthodoxy deprived, through the ambitions and intrigues of a neighboring state, of the possibility to be in contact with European Orthodox and other churches and to exchange experience and problems? Ukraine can boast of things that are outside of Orthodoxy, for example, the only structure in the world called the Council for Churches and Religious Organizations, which, according to Mykola Novachenko, chairman of the State Committee for Nationalities and Religions, has been functioning in our country for years and comprises not only Christians of various denominations but also Muslims, Jews, and others. It is a unique experience of interdenominational cooperation. Yet the Council for Churches and Religious Organizations, as well as all our other achievements, never became part of European church life.

This simply emphasizes the importance of the event that took place at the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy (Kyiv Patriarchate): the launch of the Ukrainian version of the Ecumenical Charter for the Churches of Europe. In attendance were Filaret, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine; Dymytrii Rudiuk, Archbishop of Pereiaslav- Khmelnytsky, Rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy; Markiian Trofymiak, deputy head of the Conference of Ukrainian Roman Catholic Bishops; Rev. Ilarion, secretary of the Kyiv Patriarchate; Malkhaz Songulashvili, Archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Churches of Georgia; Bishop Mykhailo Panochko, head of the All- Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Pentecostal Christians; and other hierarchs. The forum was chaired by the spokesman of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Archimandrite Yevstratii Zoria.

In their speeches the representatives of several Ukrainian churches were unanimous in declaring that Ukrainian Christian churches are eligible to be full-fledged members of Europe’s Christian community. One who shares this view is Malkhaz Songulashvili, Archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Churches of Georgia. In his speech he emphasized that it largely depends on the activity and desire of the Ukrainian churches themselves whether or not to be part of the European Christian community. In particular, the Kyiv Patriarchate has every right to be a CEC member and from now on should adhere to the Ecumenical Charter and cooperate with other Christian religions. There is not a single reason why the Kyiv Patriarchate should be in isolation. Bishop Songulashvili said that the charter is the future in our hands. The Georgian bishop recounted an old Caucasian parable about a sage whom a non-believing boy decided to test. He caught a bird, and grasping it in his hands, asked the sage, “Can you guess if the bird is alive or dead?” The sage answered, “That depends only on you!”

The secretary of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Archimandrite Ilarion, also spoke about this. “It is not normal that a large Orthodox church (about 11 million believers) is totally separated from European life. But things are changing: we have translated and are adopting the charter. This is reliable proof that we are prepared to join the Christian community of Europe.”

The Catholic bishop Markiian Trofymiak drew the audience’s attention to the fact that like-minded people of different Christian churches had gathered to witness the charter’s presentation. “It will be recalled that the Ten Commandments lay down all that is needed for the salvation of humankind. And the charter can also change the face of the world, the country and the church. Today the churches of Ukraine are divided into warring camps, but it is high time to embark on the road of meeting Christ. I am glad that Ukraine has received the charter. And its implementation depends on all of us, in spite of all our ritual and historical differences,” he said.

Archbishop Dmytro Rudiuk, rector of the Orthodox Theological Academy in Kyiv, joyfully emphasized that the advent of the Ukrainian version of the Ecumenical Charter is a genuine spiritual breakthrough. In his opinion, not only Orthodox but other Ukrainian Christian churches should testify to their faith all over the world. “The West has already ‘hit rock bottom’: some countries are even restricting Christmas celebrations,” he said. “Today’s ecumenical movement is a sermon of Christ’s faith. It is a portentous day for me.”

Filaret, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine, said that everything that the charter discusses is also occurring in Ukraine: “Suffice it to mention the permanent functioning of the Council for Churches and Religious Organizations, where believers of different religions convene peacefully — in full adherence to the charter’s principles. Yet we desire to be part of the unified structures of Europe’s Christian churches that were established as early as the 1960s, when there was a threat of nuclear war. At the time, also owing to the impact and pressure of European churches, the [threat of] nuclear war receded. Where politicians failed to come to terms, churchmen succeeded. I personally witnessed quite a few dangerous events in postwar Europe. Today humanity is also facing the threat of extermination, this time for different reasons, such as single- sex marriages, which are legal in many countries. This only means that Christian morals are degenerating and Christian civilization is heading for self-destruction. So the task of all churches is to save Europe from this self-destruction. This is one of the reasons why we should join the European conference, all the more so as all countries, except Ukraine, are part of it. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian’s spirituality, with all its drawbacks, exceeds that of the Western European. And if we are still barred from the European Conference, it is the West, not Ukraine, which will lose out. The main obstacle on our way to the CEC is, as always, Russia. I am saying this on behalf of not only the Kyiv Patriarchate but also all the churches of Ukraine.”

Today we have taken the first step: we have shown the world that we share the Ecumenical Charter’s principles and that it will be difficult for Europe to revive its spirituality without the Ukrainian church.