New Hieromartyr Maksim Sandovich of Lemkovshchyna (1886-1914), murdered by the Hapsburg authorities for rejecting the Unia
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Yuri Boldyrev, the leader of the Orthodox Path organisation in the Ukraine, believes that the Vatican is interested in creating a “national” Orthodox Church in the Ukraine. “The true aim of the Vatican in encouraging a “national” Orthodox Church in the Ukraine is to further the advance of Catholicism to the east”, Mr Boldyrev stated in an interview with the magazine Profil’ (Profile). In his view, the Holy See attempted “for a thousand years” to weaken the unity of Orthodox in the Ukraine with their Russian co-religionists. “The Vatican attempted to put the Ukraine under its domination and to ‘correct’ the ‘historical mistake’ of Grand Prince St Vladimir by using the political and military force of nearby Catholic states”. He observed further that, in the 16th century, the Vatican “took advantage of the political weakness of Russia” and extended its power over Galicia. It imposed the Union of Brest on the Orthodox subjects of the Polish state (then extending to the west bank of the Dnepr). As a result, today, “Galicians differ significantly in culture and thought from all other Ukrainians”. Mr Boldyrev described how he saw the plans of the Vatican unfolding. “Here’s their scenario for the Catholicisation of the Ukraine. First, a ‘national’ Orthodox church would be created. Then, the Ukrainian Uniates would join it in a ‘patriotic’ union. Do recall that some of the Ukrainian nationalist Orthodox schismatics already mention the Pope of Rome in their services. This isn’t a new idea. It wasn’t born today, and it wasn’t born in 1991. These are but the contemporary manifestations of a thousand-year process. The present partisans of the creation of a “national” church aren’t honest about the meaning of their plan. Some, no doubt are ignorant dupes. Others are being sly and deceiving. Don’t forget that the building of the Uniate cathedral in Kiev on the left bank of the Dnepr is an accomplished fact”, noted Mr Boldyrev.
28 January 2008
Interfax-Religion
