With Pope John Paul II In Ukraine

KIEV, Jun 25, 01 (CWNews.com) - Barely 48 hours after Pope John Paul II landed in Kiev to begin a historic visit to Ukraine, his chief spokesman suggested that the Russian Orthodox leaders who had strongly resisted the papal visit might now have serious misgivings about their position. Yet again Pope John Paul appeared to be on the verge of a major success-- in this case, a direct appeal to Ukrainian Christians on behalf of Church unity.

This CWN Feature story provides a detailed account of the Pope's first two days in Ukraine.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23:

Pope John Paul II arrived in Ukraine just after noon on Saturday, after a three- hour flight from Rome.

"I salute you, Ukraine, for your courageous and tenacious witness to the faith!" Those were the first words spoken by the Holy Father as he stepped from his plan at Boryspil airport outside Kiev. He was greeted by the country's President Leonid Kuchma and by Cardinals Lubomyr Husar and Marian Jaworski-- the leaders, respectively, of the Byzantine- and Latin-rite Catholic communities.

After kissing the Ukrainian soil proffered in a bowl by two young girls, the Pontiff received a military salute as he was escorted to a nearby tent, where he and President Kuchma exchanged short speeches.

"I have waited a long time for this visit, and prayed intensely that it would come to pass," the Pope said. Immediately addressing the concerns expressed by Russian Orthodox critics, he assured his Ukrainian hosts: "I have not come with the intention of proselytizing, but to bear witness to Christ and to invite Christians of all confessions to turn their eyes toward him."

Then in a dramatic gesture aimed more specifically at the Ukrainian Orthodox, the Holy Father asked "pardon for those errors we committed in the ancient past and even more recently." He added: "We in turn assure you that we give pardon to those who have offended us."

After a quick review of the history of Christianity in Ukraine, the Pope pointed out that the 20th century brought "the most hardships," and paid tribute to the many Ukrainians who suffered and died for their faith. Today, in the aftermath of a totalitarian era, the Church must help in the reconstruction of society, he said, pointing out the importance of maintaining the land's historical and cultural links to the Christian tradition.

On Saturday evening, June 23, after a private session with President Leonid Kuchma, the Pope met with the political and cultural leaders of Ukraine at a reception in the Mariyinskyj presidential palace. The Holy Father urged these influential leaders to serve the common good rather than private interests. He laid heavy stress on the importance of regaining the confidence of the people, so that they would not be tempted to emigrate.

The Pope was speaking to a very diverse group, which ranged from research scientists and government leaders to poets and a cabaret singer. He was warmly applauded as he reminded them that the country's constitution, in its preamble, asserts that all citizens are responsible to God for their actions.

Political leaders, the Pope said, "must not forget the lessons of history, and your duty to serve the population; you must resist the temptation to exploit your power for personal interests or pressure groups." Those words could be interpreted as an indirect criticism of President Kuchma, who has been accused of abusing his powers. But the Pontiff did not dwell on that issue; he went on to ask all the assembled leaders to use their influence in promoting Ukrainian culture, encouraging talented young people to stay at home rather than emigrate to other countries.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24:

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian Catholics braved a light but steady rain to attend a morning Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II in the Latin rite. The congregation was smaller than originally anticipated by Vatican planners-- a fact that organizers explained by noting first the inclement weather, and then the fact that when the trip was first planned, the Orthodox Church had not begun to encourage a boycott of papal events.

In his homily, the Pope made reference to the day's feast of St. John the Baptist, and remarked that the city of Kiev was the site where, in 988, the "baptism of the Rus" began the long and glorious history of Eastern Christianity. That baptism should also remind believers of the essential duty, common among all Christians, to provide unity within the Church, he said.

Once again the Pontiff paid homage to the endurance of the Ukrainian Church through a century of persecution. "Land of Ukraine, drenched with the blood of martyrs, thank you for the example of fidelity to the Gospel which you have given to Christians the world over!" he said. He exhorted the faithful of today to honor that brave Christian witness by continuing boldly to proclaim the Gospel.

The Pope offered special greetings to two different groups that had come to the Chayka airport for the Mass: a group of Nigerian students studying in Kiev, and a group of Catholics from Russia who held up a banner greeting the Pope. Other small groups of pilgrims had come from Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

At a press conference following the Mass, Father Ken Novakowsky-- the spokesman for the Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic Church-- downplayed the significance of the fact that the Pope's first public liturgy used the Latin rite. Although Eastern-rite Catholics are much more numerous in Ukraine, Father Novakowsky reasoned, it made sense for the Pope to celebrate Sunday Mass in the Latin rite, since after all the Bishop of Rome is the "Patriarch of the West," and thus the head of the Latin-rite Church.

Following the Mass the Pope met with Ukrainian bishops of both rites, at the resident of the apostolic nuncio in Kiev. Again he paid tribute to the suffering the Ukrainian Church has endured: "Among you," he remarked, "there are still some men who have had the experience of prison and persecution; I salute you with deep emotion."

The Holy Father went on to encourage the bishops to work steadily, with each other and with their Orthodox counterparts, for the cause of Christian unity. Ukraine, with its unique traditions, could be an "ecclesial laboratory" in which the Church discovers the formula for regaining union between East and West, he suggested. And he pointed out that the diversity of rites-- particularly prominent in Ukraine, where the Byzantine rite is more prevalent-- is a source of union rather than division among Christians.

The Pope also urged the bishops to be vigilant in counteracting the "grave crisis" in contemporary society, which is most acute in its effects on the family. Still later the same day, the Pontiff held an important meeting with leaders of other religious denominations, at the Philharmonic Palace in Kiev. There he was greeted with special warmth by Patriarch Filaret of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Kiev. Patriarch Filaret, once acknowledged as the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox community, was excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox because he sought independence for the Ukrainian Church; today his Patriarchate, viewed by Moscow as "schismatic," is rapidly growing in influence and challenging the Moscow-backed Ukrainian Orthodox Church. (A third group, the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, is closer to Filaret's Patriarchate.) Although Jewish and Muslim leaders were in attendance, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev-- the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-- was conspicuously absent.

"The Patriarchate of Moscow worries about proselytism, but your visit among us has nothing to do with that," Filaret assured the Pope. "On the contrary, it shows the world that Catholics and Orthodox can live together as brothers and sisters."

After greeting each Church leader individually, Pope John Paul told the group that they must "walk with respect and courage along the path of ecumenism." He also urged them to work for a "revival of moral and spiritual principles" in Ukraine after decades of official atheism. And he emphasized the need to foster true religious liberty.

When the Pope had finished his remarks, Patriarch Filaret again addressed him, characterizing his visit as a "historic event." Acknowledging that Catholics and Orthodox had been at odds in the past, the Patriarch said "the whole world respects you, because you have shown yourself capable of healing wounds in the body of the churches and of humanity." He charged that the "love of power" had driven the Moscow Patriarchate into isolation, and that "Today Christians must unite to save the Ukrainian people from the risk of self-destruction."

MONDAY, JUNE 24:

Ecumenism was still the main theme when the Pope presided at another celebration of the divine liturgy-- this time in the Byzantine rite-- on Monday. Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Major Archbishop of Lviv for the Byzantine rite, was the principal celebrant.

The congregation included a large number of Orthodox believers, especially those from the Patriarchate of Kiev; Patriarch Filaret had urged Orthodox people to attend, as a sign of respect and welcome for the visiting Pope. As Father Novakowsky of the Byzantine Church pointed out; "An Orthodox believer who assisted at this celebration would not have seen any difference from the liturgy of his own Church."

In his homily, Pope John Paul remarked that "the plurality of traditions, rites and canonical disciplines" within the Catholic Church, "far from harming the unity of the Body of Christ, actually enriches the Church, through the gifts that each one brings." He said that such diversity nourishes a missionary impulse, because: "There is no authentic evangelization without full fraternal communion."

The witness of unity offered by Ukrainian Catholics-- of both East and West- - should help the world to understand that the Church can accept different traditions, united by the truths of Revelation and Tradition. He said: "You, living side by side in charity, should become a model of the unity that exists within a legitimate pluralism and has its guarantee in the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter."

The Monday liturgy, again celebrated at Chayka airport, was the only official public appearance for the Pontiff during the day. Later he made a private visit to the memorial at Babi Yar, the site where an estimated 200,000 people were slaughtered in pursuit of Nazi racial policies during World War II. Babi Yar, where 30,000 Jews were killed and thrown into open graves in a 1941 massacre, is regarded as the precursor to the Holocaust.

Catholic World News - Feature
25. juni 2001