Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev and all the Ukraine (1935- ), the First Hierarch of the UOC/MP. Mr Weigel writes a whole article on religion in the Ukraine without mentioning the most important Orthodox clergyman there… what a maroon! If he doesn’t even know who this man is, I’d say he may know something, but he doesn’t know much about the Orthodox Church!

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Do read this (yes, you’ll be able to keep down your dinner, and, yes, it’s something that you ought to know…). Firstly, this article illustrates the profound drop in the quality of articles in this publication since the death of its founder, Rev Richard John Neuhaus, in 2009. Parenthetically, it’s not well known, but Neuhaus was not very “orthodox” in his beliefs. For instance, he strongly hinted that he believed in apocatastasis, that Hell was untenanted. His social conservatism masked a rather soft stance on doctrine… perhaps, that is why SVS was so comfortable with him. Indeed, the so-called “Orthodox” contributors to his journal were mostly Renovationists. Joseph Bottum, the present editor, is nowhere near the intellectual level of the late Rev Neuhaus, and he certainly lacks Rev Neuhaus’ deft touch and dry sense of humour.

For instance, Mr Weigel’s talk of an “ecumenical” prayer service at the Ukrainian presidential nomination is a misnomer. To begin with, both Orthodox and Catholics forbid communio in sacris of any sort, something that Mr Weigel, a loud self-proclaimed “orthodox” Roman Catholic, should know. Shame on you, Mr Weigel! To score a political point, you trampled all over the teachings of your faith… way to go! In any case, these “ecumenical” services were comprised of Uniate Catholics and schismatic Orthodox (that is to say, they weren’t Orthodox at all). According to the teaching of the Catholic faith, the Uniates shouldn’t have been participating in such services… but Mr Weigel defends such to make a political statement.

Am I the only person who sees something radically wrong in that? At that time, the canonical UOC/MP wasn’t invited, and, in any case, it chose not to take part in something that’s against the teaching of the Church (an example that SVS would do well to imitate). That’s to say, the present molieben for President Yanukovich rightly excluded the heterodox… why would Mr Weigel wish Uniate Catholics to take part in a service that’s interdicted by Catholic belief, for we Orthodox aren’t in union with the Pope of Rome. Are neo-conservative politics so important to him that they trump his religious faith? If you read his statements closely, that’s what he is, indeed, saying, so, Mr Weigel, get your mind right! Do you wish to follow Christ or Mammon? Your article, in its first paragraphs, says you prefer the latter… explain THAT to Benedict Joseph Ratzinger… read this rubbish:

For that matter, no religious leaders other than those affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church/Moscow Patriarchate… one of three contending Orthodox jurisdictions in the Ukraine… have been invited to meet with President Yanukovich since he assumed power. The UOC/MP is, for all intents and purposes, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, which means, in effect, that the principal interlocutor of the Ukrainian government on religious affairs is not a Ukrainian, but a Russian: Patriarch Kirill.

How would Mr Weigel like it if I were to write:

The Ukrainian Catholic Church (sic) is, for all intents and purposes, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Roman Catholic Church, which means, in effect, that the principal interlocutor of the Ukrainian government on religious affairs is not a Ukrainian, but a German: Pope Benedict.

Well, Mr Weigel… what say you? The shoe’s on your foot and I can hear your yelps from here! In any case, my statement is truer than yours is, which is distorted and false. Here’s the true situation:

The UOC/MP is, for all intents and purposes, a self-governing autonomous body within the Patriarchate of Moscow and all the Russias, which means, in effect, that the principal interlocutor of the Ukrainian government on religious affairs is the First Hierarch of the UOC/MP, Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev and all the Ukraine.

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Fr Mikhail Shuvar (1958-2009), Confessor of the Faith in the Ukraine, a man who suffered for Christ’s Church… whom do you honour? George Weigel or Fr Mikhail? Here is a link to a post on Fr Mikhail’s life and an interview with him.

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Metropolitan Vladimir is a true confessor! The government restricted the access of the legitimate Church to the media, giving free and untrammelled access to the media to Uniates and schismatics. Yet, the UOC/MP kept the allegiance of 85 percent of the Orthodox believers. This was under conditions of persecution… the government turned a blind eye as Uniates and schismatics took over churches, beat up clergy, and stole the Church’s movable and fixed property. The Orthodox in the Ukraine stood tall against this outrage. Where was George Weigel? Where were his protests? Where was his outrage at the Uniates beating a true modern Confessor of the Faith, Fr Mikhail Shuvar? Fr Mikhail died recently because of the after-effects of his injuries… Patriarch Kirill noted his passing.

George Weigel is silent on some topics. There’s no mention of St Maksim Sandovich, the Protomartyr of Lemkovshchyna, murdered by the Hapsburgs. There’s nothing on Tallerhof… nothing on the UPA murders of clergy faithful to the canonical Church… nothing of Slipy’s blessing of SS troops… or of the murder of Fr Gavriil Kostelnik, the Confessor of Church Unity in the Western Ukraine. There’s nothing said of St Aleksei Kabalyuk or of Fr Dmitri Sidor and his repression by “Ukrainian” authorities for his advocacy of Carpatho-Russian statehood. He says nothing about the Carpatho-Russian Russophiles… one of the major streams in the American emigration (perhaps, I should send him to Harrisburg PA… I know people there who’d set him straight). Most of all, there’s no mention of the ties of Galician nationalists with the Nazis… of their complicity in Nazi enormities.

In short, I don’t need to refute every point individually. However, you MUST read this stuff and heed it. No, you needn’t believe it… it’s utter BS from stem to stern… but it’s what neocons believe (it’s why they’re enemies of the Church) and it’s what a segment of Catholics believe. We must be aware of this… we must be aware of these lies so we can refute them. Note well that the only MP clergyman he named other than His Holiness was Hilarion Alfeyev, who is, perhaps, the most unrepresentative of the lot (English-speakers are invariably taken in by his excellent English language skills). There’s no mention at all of Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan, the First Hierarch of the UOC/MP… the most important Orthodox clergyman in the Ukraine. So, is it surprising that Weigel reveals a total ignorance of the Orthodox pleroma? I’d love to see Deacon Andrei or Fr Vsevolod get their teeth into him! How long do you think Weigel would last in a Texas Strap Match with Fr Dmitri Sidor? Betcha that Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol would take Weigel down, three falls out of three. How about Metropolitan Amfilohije in Kosovo? He’d have Weigel for breakfast, burp, and ask for the main course. Let’s have a tag team of Professors Narochnitskaya and Osipov go after Weigel… wanna take bets on how long he’d last?

As for Mr Weigel’s aspersions on Vladimir Vladimirovich… VVP came to faith when his wife lay injured from a serious car wreck. It’s how many people come to faith. The Fathers on the Mountain think highly of VVP… so do I… so do most other Orthodox Christians. Mr Weigel… whom are you putting in opposition to this great Orthodox gentleman? George Bush? Sarah Palin? No sale, dude… why should I buy a counterfeit when there’s the real thing? I remember Mr Putin comforting the Ossetian refugees driven out of their homes by the Georgian aggressors (whom you love, Mr Weigel), when he said, “After suffering thousands of deaths and enduring a major humanitarian disaster in their homeland, it’ll be impossible to convince South Ossetians to be part of the Georgian state. This is a heinous crime against the Ossetian people. I suspect that it’s now obvious to the entire world that Georgian plans to join NATO boil down to a design to enlist outside support for bloody adventures of the kind seen in South Ossetia, not a desire to join an alliance for international security. Russia shall always have enormous respect for the fraternal Georgian people, in spite of the criminal policy of the present government”, and, ““It’s total genocide, this is nothing but madness. Civilised people don’t behave like this”.

Mr Weigel, as a neocon, you supported the Georgian Grad bombardments on sleeping civilians so that “democracy” could be extended. I don’t find you a decent individual nor do I find your arguments compelling or informed. I’m glad that you made them, though… it teaches all Orthodox people the depth of hatred that we face from American neocons and from certain factions amongst the papists (not all share this view, thankfully). We owe you gratitude for your honesty in expressing your hatred of the Orthodox faith and peoples… it’ll allow us to stand against your ilk even more firmly. Storm clouds in the Ukraine? No way… the sun came out after a long darkness. Isn’t that beautiful?

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Albany NY