An Open Letter to Dr. Anatoloj Lysyj
…………………
was distributed on August 2, 2002 by a long time church activist Mr. Alexander
Seweryn, NYC, NY.
The
tireless Mr. Seweryn, in researching his library archives, happened upon a long
forgotten volume “In Defense of our Faith”
published in 1984 by the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Brotherhood, Toronto,
Canada.
Mr.
Seweryn opened the volume and to his surprise found on pages 224-225 a short
article “How Would We Like to View Our Orthodox
Church?” written by Dr. Anatolij Lysyj.
In
the context of his current position, the good doctor must have forgotten his
own words written in 1984. Therefore with great pleasure I, Alexander
Seweryn, am reprinting and sending to
your attention your own words:
First…Ukrainian. In this there is no
compromise or retreat.
UKRAINIANISM of
our Church has meaning for us not only in name, for a name without content is
meaningless. For us it means its language, context, character, and her
pre-assertion to the Ukrainian nation as an integral part of its organism.
UKRAINIANISM of
our Orthodox Church we want to see in each moment of her existence and exhibit
of her work. This means that Ukrainianism of our Church should echo in all our
churches each time we visit, in words and deeds of her leaders and clergy, in
the daily work of each Ukrainian Orthodox hromada (parish).
UKRAINIANISM of
our Orthodox Church also means forever rejecting the church that sat on our
nations backs for hundreds of years, an oppressor to our people and used as a
weapon by our enemies.
UKRAINIANISM of our Orthodox Church we see not as a rejection of our national interests in place of all embracing Christian ethics. To the contrary, her Ukrainianism means for us the necessity in practicing Christian love and ethics within our own Ukrainian society.
UKRAINIANISM of
our Orthodox Church means predisposition to the Ukrainian nation, for our
Church and our people are indivisible. Through the ages our people built our
church and our Church built our people. This is neither
nationalism nor chauvinism. This is a necessity for our own preservation and
our obligation to future generations.
UKRAINIANISM of
our Orthodox Church means a clearly defined goal. Every nation is a supporter
of its own spirituality and culture. Spirituality and culture are eternal and
immortal. They always existed and will always exist. An enemy church for
centuries attempted to destroy our spirituality and culture. Only our people
defended these principles. We want to see our Church strengthen our people and
stand as a guardian of its aims and goals just as other churches of other
nations do it.
UKRAINIANISM of
our Orthodox Church is not a choice. This is our duty from the first breath of
our lives and means our obligation to the end. For “…one cannot choose his birth mother…”
To an ordinary
Ukrainian Orthodox layperson in the Diaspora it is impossible to believe that
you, Dr. Lysyj, within the last 10 years could possibly have turned 180 degrees
in the opposite direction, a metamorphosis, descending to the opposite extremes
of that which you wrote almost 20 years ago.
Therefore the necessity arises to pose the following
question…. when were you not
conniving…… before 1984 or after the
secret signing of the “Points of
Agreement” in Phanar, Istambul on December 6, 1994?
Because through your efforts and intellect our
Autocephalic branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church lost its independence and
now finds itself dependent on Istanbul with Greeks, who previously were,
Ukrainian, bishops!
Dear
Dr. Anatolij Lysyj! How will you
explain your metamorphosis?
Alexander
Seweryn