MP-+Met. Vladimir Of Kiev Endorsed By Oikumene

[Kollyvas]

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=640

27 November 2005, 09:15
Leaders of world Orthodoxy give unanimous support to the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Kiev, November 27, Interfax - The celebrations held this week to mark the 70th birthday of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine have become an occasion for Orthodox Churches throughout the world to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church experiencing difficulties because of a schism in Orthodoxy in Ukraine. Thirteen prominent representatives out of fifteen autocephalous Churches came to Kiev and all they, speaking on behalf of their primates, expressed unconditional support for the head of the UOC, a self-governed part of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira, Great Britain, noted that the guests came from various countries ‘to honour the great hierarch, the great theologian, the great primate of the Church of Kiev and All Ukraine and to convey personally congratulations and appreciation from primates of the entire Orthodoxy in the world’. The head of the Greek diocese in England, speaking on behalf of Patriarch Bartholomaios, expressed to Metropolitan Vladimir the wish that he may serve for many years ‘for the benefit of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’. Meanwhile, until recently the Constantinopolitan hierarchs avoided by all means using the name of the UOC, challenging the validity of the church jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate over Ukraine.

Speaking on behalf of the Patriarch of Antioch, Bishop Niphon stated that the UOC, ‘which is part of the great Russian Church’, represents in the Ukrainian land ‘the only Orthodox Church in full spiritual communion and unity with the Orthodox world’.

The newly-enthroned Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem conveyed, through the rector of his Moscow representation, Archimandrite Stephen, the assurance of his continued prayer for Metropolitan Vladimir whom he described as ‘recognized by the entire Orthodox world’.

The Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya II underlined that ‘the work of the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a heavy but at the same time a beneficial cross’. That is why ‘the whole Orthodox world honours the 70s birthday’ of Metropolitan Vladimir, expressing ‘sincere love and respect’ for him.

Bishop Basil of Tuzla, speaking on behalf of the Serbian Orthodox Church, stated that schisms were illnesses, and the Serbs prayed that they might be overcome in Ukraine, ‘that the aching souls may be healed’.

Bishop Cassian of the Low Danube, who represented Patriarch Teoctist of Romania, described Metropolitan Vladimir as ‘a symbol of the unity of Orthodoxy’ and underlined that it was ‘the fullness of the Orthodox Church’ that assembled in Kiev.

Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovec stated that all the Orthodox Bulgaria honoured Kiev as ‘a city where the Russian Orthodox Church was born’. These words emphasize the indissoluble link between Ukraine and the Moscow Patriarchate.

Archbishop Christodulos of Athens and All Greece put a special emphasis on the fact that Metropolitan Vladimir was elected as head of ‘the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine in hard times when she was put to great trials’, and in this situation he became ‘a steward of the traditions and teaching of one Church and a resolute protector of her canonical rights’. The statement made by the leader of the Orthodox Christians in Greece leaves no room to doubts as to with whom he identifies in the confrontation between the UOC and uncanonical groups insisting on separation from Moscow.

Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland also reminded of the ‘trials by an upheaval which disturbed peace in the Church’ that the UOC experienced as a result of the schism supported by politicians. He gave a high appraisal to the services that Metropolitan Vladimir rendered to Ukraine and his efforts ‘to pacify the destructive sentiments and to build canonical unity between the Church and the Ukrainian people’.

Metropolitan Nikolaj of the Szech Lands and Slovakia expressed hope that ‘all the Orthodox people of Ukraine will soon’ overcome the schisms and unite around Metropolitan Vladimir as primate of the one UOC.

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[Kollyvas]

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=658

02 December 2005, 13:36
Archbishop of Thyateira: Patriarchate of Constantinople grants exclusive recognition to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox church

Kiev, December 2, Interfax - The Patriarchate of Constantinople 'grants exclusive recognition to the canonical Ukrainian orthodox church' headed by Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine, archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain who represented Patriarch Bartholomew at the recent 70th jubilee of the UOC primate, said.

Interfax got this information from press service of the Ukrainian church which is preparing a set of interviews given in Kiev by representatives of the Orthodox churches throughout the world.

A hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople denounced the transfer of the see of the Ukrainian greek catholics from Lvov to Kiev and underscored that Bartholomew I assessed these actions as 'proselytic'. The archbishop said further that the Patriarchate of Constantinople sides with the Orthodox church in Ukraine in its pain caused by proselytic activities of the uniates and protestants, and also by the current schisms.

Head of the Greek diocese in Great Britain emphasized that the restoration of church unity was possible only 'through repentance' as 'the canons are the guideline which helps the church take correct decisions'.

As to the restitution of church property in Ukraine, archbishop Gregorios pointed out that 'state leaders and politicians should find a reasonable solution so that the things that are Caesar's be rendered to Caesar and to God the things that are God's' and added that 'the Church is the mother of all people.'

The guest conveyed Patriarch Bartholomew's wish to Metropolitan Vladimir for all ecclesiastical problems to be solved as soon as possible. 'He has the strength with his experience and wisdom, with support of laymen and clergy and in cooperation with the president and government to fulfil this task', the archbishop said.

[Kollyvas]

http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/mod/ne ... le_id=6524

Ukrainian schismatics ask Bartholomew I to recognize ‘the Kievan Patriarchate’ as Local Church
Moscow, December 16, Interfax - The Kievan Patriarchate, which is not recognized in the Orthodox world, has appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to recognize this schismatic structure as ‘the Local and Autocephalous Church of Ukraine’.

Moscow, December 16, Interfax - The Kievan Patriarchate, which is not recognized in the Orthodox world, has appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to recognize this schismatic structure as ‘the Local and Autocephalous Church of Ukraine’.

The authors of the appeal, signed by Archbishop Dimitry Rudyuk, a vicar of ‘Patriarch’ Philaret, and People’s Deputy Lilia Grigorovich, maintain that the recognition of the Kievan Patriarchate by Constantinople and other Local Churches ‘is expected by millions of the Orthodox’ in Ukraine.

According to the schismatics, it ‘is the largest Church in our country’, while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate ‘is approximately half as large according to the number of the faithful’. This statement is made with a reference to ‘numerous sociological surveys’.

At the same time, according to the official state statistics, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is three times as large as the Kievan Patriarchate according to the number of parishes and five times as large according to the number of monasteries and twenty times as large according to the number of monastics. Ukraine does not reckon parishioners by head.

According to experts, it is difficult to understand the grounds on which the Kievan Patriarchate followers base their expectations. During the recent celebrations on the occasion of the 70th birthday of the UOC head, Metropolitan Vladimir, Archbishop Gregory of Thyateira, a representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, stated that Constantinople recognizes only the canonical Ukrainian Church.

Interfax was informed by the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations that as far back as four years ago, on December 14, 2001, the official letter of the Synod of Constantinople stated that Patriarch Bartholomaios ‘resolutely refutes’ the allegations made by Ukrainian Parliament Deputy P. Movchan a month earlier that he received assurances in Istanbul that ‘the Ukrainian Church will be granted autocephaly and ‘Patriarch’ Philaret’s group will be recognized as canonical’.

[Kollyvas]

http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/mod/ne ... le_id=6563

Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, transfer of his residence to Kiev has helped Ukrainian churches come together
Kiev, December 19, Interfax - The head of the UGCC, Cardinal Lubomir Husar, has again spoken for establishing one Local Church in Ukraine.

Kiev, December 19, Interfax - The head of the UGCC, Cardinal Lubomir Husar, has again spoken for establishing one Local Church in Ukraine.

‘The Churches have not been established by officials, but by Jesus Christ. We as Christians should unite, and it is our tragedy that we are still separated’, Cardinal Husar said at a press conference in Kiev on Monday.

He noted that ‘the unity of Churches is possible. This is not a fantasy, not an unattainable dream. It is a condition we can achieve, but how is a big question’.

While noting that Christians in Ukraine are divided dogmatically and canonically, he emphasized the need to realize that ‘we all are human beings whatever confession we may belong to, whatever canonical injunctions we may confess’.

Cardinal Husar believes that the seemingly considerable differences are obliterated in close fellowship. ‘It is one of the reasons for which we, Greek-Catholics, are in Kiev. This transfer of the residence of the head of the Church (UGCC - IF) from Lvov to Kiev has made a considerable contribution to the question of unity’, the cardinal said.

The cardinal also believes that the transfer of his residence will contribute to the inter-confessional dialogue.

According to the cardinal, the construction of the patriarchal cathedral on the left bank of the Dnieper has entered its final stage. Since the laying of the foundation stone in October 2002, the walls have been erected, five cupolas have been installed, their crosses have been consecrated, the cross has been installed on the central cupola and the ground floor has been finished with a patriarchal residence and all the necessary communications.

Now the metal framework for the central vault of the church is being assembled. The vault will be 20 meters in diameter and four storey-high. The assembling will be completed in March 2006, and the construction itself is planned to be finished within two years.

[Kollyvas]

(Jesli kakoi-to negodjai-samostinik i skazhet "Slava Ukrainu!" ili kakaja nibud' podobnaja bezumstvennaja rech' prishlos' zdravoumstennym ljudjam prinimat' mjeri dlja prosvischenije takovo njevjezhestva. Pora nam ostanovit' zloupotrebjenija narodovo imushestva: )

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/aug20 ... -a29.shtml

...Growing poverty

According to current figures, 46 percent of the population earn less than $2 a day, but are expected to pay Western prices for food and clothing. Since 1990, average wages for workers have declined by 70 percent, and the decline is continuing.

In 1999 the average monthly wage was around $47, but in the first quarter of the year 2000, this figure had sunk to $39. In 1999, pensions averaged $16 a month, compared with a current monthly pension of $15—a quarter of the figure reckoned to be necessary to maintain a minimum existence in Ukraine.

Since 1990 agricultural production has halved. In order to survive, most inhabitants of the big cities are forced to grow their own vegetables in garden plots or in collaboration with their families.

Official figures estimate unemployment at more than 2 million, or 11.4 percent. According to experts, however, hidden unemployment is far higher. Despite an increase in the Net Domestic Product of 9.4 percent this year, the NDP remains 60 percent below the level of Soviet times. Industrial production rose by 18.8 percent this year, but still remains 70 percent below the level of 1991.

In today’s Ukraine 1.5 million children are homeless. There has been a drastic increase in the death rate of young people between the ages of 15 and 24, along with a dramatic decline in the formerly high level of school education.

Of the estimated 2 million women world-wide who are victims of international prostitution and smuggling gangs, 40 percent come from Eastern Europe, and over 100,000 from Ukraine. Between 70 and 80 percent are women under the age of 18. Despite the enormous numbers involved in this female slave trade, there were just 37 prosecutions over the past three years, and most of these cases were dismissed.

In Ukraine people die trying to dismantle and steal high-tension electricity cables for their copper content. Life expectancy has declined from 67 to 58 years over the last decade, and the health system is imploding. Illnesses that had been largely overcome in the early years of the Soviet Union, such as tuberculosis, Black Plague, Yellow Fever, typhus and cholera, are appearing with increasing regularity.

On August 21 the eastern Ukraine television channel Ukraina Novy Kanal broadcast a report from the city of Dnepropetrovsk, where a tuberculosis epidemic is spreading. According to official figures, 17,000 out of a population of 1,000,000 have been thus far affected, including 9,000 children. It is presumed, however, that the actual numbers are much higher. Deputy Mayor Vasyl Povkov stated on television that 170 people had already died this year from tuberculosis, twice as many as in the previous year.

Last week the cholera gene “El Tor Vibrio” was discovered in the river Dnestr, which borders Moldavia and Ukraine. Under conditions of warmer water in the summer months, the gene is capable of unleashing a cholera epidemic. The Dnestr region is an internationally renowned spa and rehabilitation area. This latest alarm is the fifth since 1996.

HIV-AIDS—“A second Chernobyl”

During the year 2000 alone, cases of HIV-AIDS increased in eastern Europe and the CIS states from 420,000 to over 700,000. An above average increase has been recorded in Ukraine and Russia, where the number of victims has more than doubled, from 130,000 to 300,000, in 2000.

In 1997 the chairman of the Ukrainian Committee for the Combating of Drug Dependence and AIDS Prevention, Valery Ivasyuk, already warned of a “second Chernobyl”. The first indications of a dramatic spread of the disease surfaced between 1995 and 1996, when cases increased 10-fold in one year.

Citing international statistics, the Polish weekly Polityka wrote that HIV had spread more quickly in eastern Europe than other regions of the world. Particularly affected regions include centres of heavy industry such as in Donesk, Kharkov and Dnepropetrowsk, as well as the Crimea.

A United Nations AIDS report anticipates that by the year 2010, 6 percent of the Ukrainian population will be victims of HIV-AIDS. The report attributes the dramatic development of the disease to “the lack of public information, poverty and unemployment, as well as access to cheap drugs”.

Industrial catastrophes

The extent of the economic decline since independence is indicated by the proliferation of methane gas explosions in Ukrainian mines. Less than two weeks ago 37 miners were burnt to death in an explosion at the biggest mine in the Donesk region, Sazyadko. Dozens of other workers were badly injured in the blast.

In May 1999, 41 miners died in a disaster at the same mine. After China, Ukrainian mines are thought to be the most dangerous in the world. The situation is similar in other branches of industry. According to a statistic published by the Labour Ministry in Kiev, an average of 95 workers were injured every day last year—30 with injuries resulting in severe physical handicaps.

A total of 1,325 workers lost their lives at work last year, and 800,000 engineers lack sufficient safety precautions at their place of work. Some 9,000 factories are in a dangerous condition. A cursory check revealed that 37,000 workers laboured under conditions dangerous to their health.

Press censorship and democratic rights

Recently a Moscow social scientist ironically commented that compared to the situation in Ukraine, the extensive limitations and curbs on press freedom in Russia pale into insignificance. In comparison with Ukraine, the Russian press flourishes in “complete democracy,” he said. Newspapers, TV and radio stations that have fallen out of official favour in Ukraine have suffered the imposition of high taxes or been provided with fabricated and false documents, which are then used as a pretext to close them down.

When such measures have not worked, journalists have been murdered or kidnapped. The best known case was that of Georgy Gongadze a year ago. A former co-worker of Kuchma, Gongadze had published incriminating documents and was subsequently found abducted and murdered. The circumstances of his death provoked a state crisis that lasted until April this year.

According to the Ukrainian union of journalists, 41 of its members have suffered violent deaths in the 10 years since independence. Some were victims of mysterious accidents, while others were simply shot dead on the street. There have been no investigations into the identity of the murderers or those who issued the murder contracts.

The latest case concerns the brutal murder of TV journalist Igor Alexandrov from the town of Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine. He was beaten to death in his office on July 4 by a group of thugs armed with baseball bats. Alexandrov’s offence was to have reported in his programme Tor of corruption and conspiracy between police, captains of industry, politicians and an oligarchy from Donesk...

[Kollyvas]

http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/363 ... guage.html

It's Volapuk to me: trying to build the tower of Babel
12/28/2005 21:50
People have never forgotten the legend about the tower of Babel. Nevertheless, they have always tried to restore the harmony that was once lost and to destroy all the language barriers

People have never forgotten the legend about the tower of Babel. Nevertheless, they have always tried to restore the harmony that was once lost and to destroy all the language barriers. Tommaso Campanella, Rene Decartes, Isaac Newton were among those, who dreamed of creating the universal language. Russian empress Catherine the Great summoned a special commission for studying foreign languages with the final goal of working out a universal one. In 1871 Karl Marx claimed that the international development of labor unions was impeded by the difference in people's languages. The main criterion for the international language had to be the ability of this language to give no advantages to any nation.

The first international language that became successful was not Esperanto as believed by many people but the language that was called Volapuk. The word itself is surrounded by prejudices and is often used in different languages in the meaning of gibberish. The dreadful word Volapuk is traditionally used to scare the students and to make them feel their ignorance.

Actually Volapuk was an artificial language that was used for the international communication. The father of this language was the German Catholic priest Johann Martin Sсhleyer who published it in 1880. The language grammar was far from an easy one. Still, it was logical and did not allow any exceptions to the rule. The general principle was: say as you write and write as you read. The stress always fell on the last syllable. The words as if were made of different bricks: the vocabulary was borrowed from English, French, German and Latin. Schleyer usually used only parts of words that were combined like meccano. The very word Volapuk is a combination of two English words that were changed greatly: world became vol and speak turned into puk.

The history of the word denoting scissors is far more interesting. The English scissors and French ciseau were considered inappropriate. Schleyer picked out the word from his native language Schere, omits the ending e, changes r into l and e into i. The result was the word jil (j is pronounced in Volapuk as sch in German). However, the word already existed in the language and meant femininity. Schleyer did not see any problem in this and changed jil into jim, the last variant being recorded in the dictionary.

Such a barbaric approach, especially of a linguist, seems to be more than strange. It is not surprising that any European could find traces of his own language in Volapuk but more often would treat this language as gibberish. It is hard to say what Schleyer had in mind when he was inventing his own scissors to shear the European languages. Anyway, the history cannot be changed.

All of a sudden "the language of the world" found its supporters among the clergymen who seemed to forget the story of the Babel. Soon Volapuk became extremely popular.

The language was spreading rapidly. It seemed that its popularity would be everlasting. Schleyer must have felt he was a Messiah who was to give the human kind with the new language. However, little by little supporters of Volapuk began noticing the flaws of the language. It was possible to improve it but Schleyer was strongly against any changes in the language.

This led to an agitation among the supporters of Volapuk. In 1912 Schleyer with the death of Johann Martin Schleyer his brainchild died as well. Once so popular "the language of the world" was forgotten in an instant.

The decline of the language was hastened by the emergence of the new artificial language in 1887. His author was an ophthalmologist from Warsaw L.L. Zamenhof. Zamengof published his work Unua Libro under the pseudonym Doktoro Esperanto. That is how the new language received its name, Esperanto. The language was supposed to be so easy that it could be "learnt in jest".

Zamengof's language had a very simplified grammar that could be mastered in half an hour. The whole language could be learnt in several days. In comparison with Volapuk Esperanto was easier to grasp: its vocabulary was more agreeable to a human brain and ears. It comprised all the international words that were commonly used at that time.

Alexander Volin

[Kollyvas]

:shock: http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/mod/ne ... le_id=6620

Vatican’s move against proselytism and Greek Catholic expansion would ensure meeting with the Pope of Rome
Moscow, December 28, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate awaits Vatican’s concrete actions that would corroborate its intention to overcome current conflicts, in particular, proselytism practiced by the Catholics in Russia and the CIS countries and the uniates’ expansion in Ukraine.

Moscow, December 28, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate awaits Vatican’s concrete actions that would corroborate its intention to overcome current conflicts, in particular, proselytism practiced by the Catholics in Russia and the CIS countries and the uniates’ expansion in Ukraine.

‘It is early yet to speak about any concrete rapprochement. We welcome the statement of the new Pope about the necessity to continue dialogue. We hope that this statement will be followed by actions’, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II said in an interview published by BBC Russian.

‘Why to meet (with the Pope - IF) in front of TV cameras? Just to show to the world that there are no problems between us? But we have problems, don’t we? Such meetings should be well prepared. The problems worrying the Russian Orthodox church and its flock should be solved for the meeting to take place’, the patriarch added.

He noted with regret that the Roman Catholic church still practices proselytism in Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia and Kazakhstan.

‘They try to convert to Catholicism people who were baptized as Orthodox or are rooted in Orthodoxy. That particularly concerns children. Many catholic missionaries in Russia open children’s homes, take children baptized in Orthodoxy and educate them in the catholic spirit’, Alexy II said.

According to him, there still exists a confrontation in Western Ukraine ‘where the Greek Catholic church shows extreme aggressiveness toward Orthodoxy’. For instance, there is no church in Lviv where divine services are conducted in Ukrainian for the parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow Patriarchate’, the primate noted.

He underscored that the transfer of the uniates see from Lviv to Kiev would complicate relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican. There are many Greek Catholics in western regions of Ukraine, but the number of Greek Catholics in Kiev is ‘very small’.

‘It is clear that a huge uniate cathedral is being built with the prospect for developing proselytism and consolidating Greek Catholics not only in western regions but also in the central Ukraine’, the patriarch said.

He also regretted the attempts of some Ukrainian politicians to interfere in church affairs. ‘Some politicians have been striving to establish a church independent from Moscow at all costs. It is cutting an open wound! There are many mixed marriages; we venerate many saints together!’ Alexy II noted.

He said that the Orthodox and Catholics have a common stand, for instance, on the role of Christianity in Europe. ‘European culture is based on Christian tradition. We have much in common and hope that we shall have more points of contact’, the patriarch said.