“And the Winner of the Gold Statuette as ‘Igornanus of the Year’ Goes to… George Weigel!”

Here’s to you, Mr Weigel! Why are you writing about something that you know absolutely nothing about? You’re making yourself and all neocons look like blithering idiots! Perspiring minds want to know…

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Editor’s Foreword:

“Igoranus” isn’t a misspelling. It’s the Mensa International way of denoting an ignoramus who is also an insufferable ass. Fits Mr Weigel to a “T”, doesn’t it? Well… he wrote a second article about Ukrainian religion (this time in National Review) without mentioning Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan even once! Not even a mere “Metropolitan Vladimir is the head of the largest single religious group in the Ukraine“. Looks like Mr Weigel doesn’t like giving Vladimir Markiyanovich any respect! I guess that the good metropolitan just doesn’t exist for ignorant ultramontane fanatics like Weigel. People like this give the Catholics a bad rep… thankfully, grounded Orthodox know that these sorts are just blowing smoke out of various and sundry orifices (which ones, I’ll leave to my readers’ fertile imaginations). William F Buckley is looking down from heaven and hurling at the sight of such turgid nonsense in the pages of his magazine…

BMD

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First, hold your nose and read this… it won’t take long… yes, you DO have to read it… look at it as the intellectual equivalent of “Granny’s castor oil”… nasty tasting stuff that’ll do you a world of good afterwards, trust me on this. See… you’re still in one piece. Since you were well behaved and you took your nasty old medicine (I saw that goofy face you made…), I’ll give you a swallow of something good to wash away the aftertaste.

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Hefty, Hefty, Hefty! Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev and all the Ukraine (1935- ), First Hierarch of the UOC/MP… a true confessor of modern Orthodoxy…

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How can someone write an article on religion in the Ukraine without mentioning Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan is puzzling to me. I mean, only 85 percent of all Orthodox believers belong to the UOC/MP. Mr Weigel conveniently “forgets” to tell you that the UOC/MP is an Autonomous Local Church (that is, if this ignoramus even knew such in the first place). That is, its First Hierarch (in this case, Metropolitan Vladimir) commemorates the First Hierarch of the Patriarchate of Moscow and all the Russias, whilst the other bishops and clergy commemorate the First Hierarch if the UOC/MP. How is this imperialism?

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Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy! Cardinal Ljubomir Husar (1933- ), head of the Galician Uniates… despite all their noise and former government support, only 8% of the Ukrainian population. Truly… can you take such a Vatican poseur seriously?

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In any case, since 1991, the Ukrainian people have shown a marked preference for the UOC/MP, although it’s a constituent part of the MP. This is even more remarkable as the nationalist extremists in the government showed preference to the Uniates and to schismatic “Orthodox”. They denied the canonical Church access to the media, stole its rightful property, and brutalised its priests and believers. Why didn’t Mr Weigel report that? Do you hear the deafening silence from Mr Weigel? He believes that the Uniate chieftain, Cardinal Husar, “a man widely admired throughout Ukrainian society” (according to Mr Weigel’s account), is the spokesman of religious Ukrainians. Why, Uniates are only some 8 percent of the population… there are ten times as many Orthodox… that’s all. I’m seeing a disturbing pattern. He hates the UOC/MP, its leadership, clergy, and believers so much that he’s willing to use distortion to fight it.

This should be a warning to all grounded Orthodox people. The neocons hate us and they hate what we stand for. It’s because we stand against American Godless Secularism. I don’t care if Weigel is an ultramontane papalist… his primary allegiance is to American Secular Democracy… that’s where he sacrifices and prays. In short, he contravenes the First Commandment, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me”, and the Second Commandment, “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them. For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments”. He bows before the American State and gives it what is God’s… soulless hypocrite, I say. He dares to lecture us… whilst he defends those whose only merit is that they supported American enslavement of their countries.

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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (1952- ) and Polish Ambassador to Russia Jerzy Bahr giving their respects to the body of Polish President Lech Kaczyński (1949-2010) at the airport before its transport to Poland

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Mr Weigel hates Vladimir Putin. One reason that he hates Mr Putin is that Vladimir Vladimirovich is a sincere and believing Orthodox Christian who protects the Church from contamination by Western Secularism and from proselytism from Proddies and certain papists. Another is that VVP has reversed the demographic decline in Russia. It’s been hard, and it’s only slight at present. However, his policies halted the decline. Russia’s population is a little over 95 percent of its Soviet peak in 1991, and in-migration is greater than out-migration as Russian-speakers return home from the Near Abroad and from the West. Thirdly, Vladimir Vladimirovich led a successful campaign against America’s stooge, Saakashvili. That wasn’t much of a war as the Georgian forces deserted, refusing to fight for their baby-faced dictator (supported unreservedly by the neocons in the USA and such American-manipulated marionettes as Yushchenko and the Nazi-loving Balts). Weigel’s hysteria over VVP is not reasonable. Vladimir Putin is one of the great statesmen in the world today. Certainly, he’s head and shoulders over his American counterparts (Obama and Clinton are nowhere near his stature, and Biden and Palin are utter jokes).

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Here’s what Weigel supports… a Galician nationalist extremist in Lvov on Victory Day… note the paucity of supporters!

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Did you note that Mr Weigel didn’t mention the SBU goons of Yushchenko beating Fr Dmitri Sidor and other Carpatho-Russian activists? Did you also note that he didn’t tell you that the CIA trained the SBU and that it ran secret prisons for detainees for the Bush administration? Mr Weigel certainly has a selective memory! He also doesn’t tell you that the so-called Golodomyr is a nationalist fairy tale, which was rejected by the PACE.

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Here is what Weigel rejects… healthy elements celebrate the Great Victory in Kiev and honour surviving VOV vets… as Mr Weigel is against this, it logically follows that he honours the Nazi collaborators of the UPA, the Baltic Legions, and Ustashi… you’re backed in a corner, Mr Weigel… concede defeat.

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This is another meretricious and trashy production from Mr Weigel. This is beyond words, yet if this is the best that the neocons and “teabaggers” can come up with… it’s scary, isn’t it? Such people want access to our nuclear arsenal, no less. Again, Mr Weigel earns points for his honesty… he didn’t conceal his hatred, ignorance, and bile. That’s to the good… it may open the eyes of grounded Orthodox to what the neocons truly are and to their hatred of our faith and beliefs. You can have Christianity or you can have Secularist “Democracy”… you can’t have both… they’re diametric opposites.

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Thursday 27 May 2010

Albany NY

Editor’s Postscript:

A friend of mine sent me this:

Weigel is the author of a JPII biography, so he’s clearly a remnant of that school of thought from the bad ole days. I wonder how much pull his sort really has at Vatican HQ nowadays. Seems a bit rich to describe the heavily-Polonised, Stockholm-syndromed L’vovcy Uniates as “the repository of the [Ukrainian] nation’s culture and memory”.

Absolutely! Weigel’s an excellent example of what a Russian bishop called “Christian atheists”. He doesn’t believe in Christ and His Church… he believes in “democracy” and the American Dream… he bows down in adoration before the American State and supports bombing as a normal and approved method of diplomacy. In short, an amoral monster and charlatan.

BMD

 

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Know Thine Enemy: George Weigel’s Propaganda on the Ukraine… Read and Heed… It’s What They Really Believe

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