“A Voice in the Wilderness”

Ten years have passed since the death of Patriarch Volodymyr (Vasyl Romaniuk) of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) who was ordained after the death of Patriarch Mstyslav in 1993. Patriarch Volodymyr, God rest his soul, remains in our fond memories as an outstanding personality, who dedicated his life to the Ukrainian idea and who was convinced that the notion of a Ukrainian nation-state was inseparable from that of an independent Orthodox church. His world views were formed long before the Soviet Union’s collapse and he never kept them secret. As a result, he spent many years in Soviet prison camps and exile. Those who knew him as a patriarch realized almost instantly that he regarded his high religious post merely as an opportunity to serve the church, which to him meant serving Ukraine. The long years of persecution and imprisonment notwithstanding, Patriarch Volodymyr remained a friendly and open- hearted individual until his dying day, who paid little attention to his creature comforts and his general well-being, and who was prepared to share everything he possessed with anyone.

Characteristically, after finding himself in the United States and Canada, where he was made welcome and shown respect, all he could think about was returning to Ukraine. The dissident priest had become known in the West as a Soviet prison camp inmate. A campaign for his release was led by Metropolitan Mstyslav, President Ronald Reagan, and believers and clergymen in many countries. An English-language collection of his sermons and messages entitled A Voice in the Wilderness was published in Toronto. Then Ukraine was shaken by tempestuous events and a Ukrainian nation-state started being built. Vasyl Romaniuk decided to return home, “so that I can have time to do something for the church and for Ukraine,” recalls his son, the Rev. Tarasiy Romaniuk.

Patriarch Volodymyr was pained to witness the rift in the Ukrainian Orthodox community. He seemed prepared to make any sacrifice necessary to heal that “bleeding wound on the body of the people.” We know that several days before his death he visited Patriarch Dmytro of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, acting contrary to protocol, and they spent a long time discussing the complex situation. In the end they reached an agreement on a joint action plan, which was overturned by Patriarch Volodymyr’s unexpected death. The Kyiv Patriarchate remains unrecognized by the ecumenical Orthodox community and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church has actually broken apart into various segments, each hating the other.

Ukraine remembered Patriarch Volodymyr on the 10th anniversary of his death. But what the media came up with makes one’s blood run cold. Most of the reports focused on what happened during the funeral ceremony. These events once again demonstrated some of our national traits; we couldn’t even bury a man peacefully. Few recalled that the goal for which Patriarch Volodymyr lived and suffered is still beyond the horizon.