Part 1 of THE YEAR IN REVIEW pages 5-12 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019 $2.00 FOR THE RECORD Ecumenical Patriarch’s Orthodox Church of Ukraine granted independence address after signing Tomos of autocephaly Tomos of autocephaly reverses centuries Upon completion of the ceremony of signing the Tomos, Ecumenical of Moscow rule Patriarch Bartholomew addressed Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine by Mark Raczkiewycz Epifaniy (referred to below as Epiphanios). The following text was KYIV – If Ukrainians worldwide waited provided by the Ukrainian Orthodox over 70 years to regain independence as a Church of the U.S.A. nation, a significant portion of its Orthodox Christian congregants had to wait more Your Beatitude Metropolitan than three centuries to restore spiritual Epiphanios of Kyiv and all Ukraine, Your freedom from the same overlord – Russia. Excellency Mr. Petro Poroshenko, It came on January 6 when Christmas Eve President of Ukraine, Most Reverend is observed in accordance with the Julian cal- and Right Reverend brothers in endar. St. George Cathedral in Istanbul, the Christ, Dearly beloved people of seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was the Ukraine, Devout congregation: “Behold, setting. A Ukrainian delegation consisting of Petro Poroshenko/Facebook the winter is past, the rain is over and Church hierarchs and politicians came for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (left) presents the Tomos of autocephaly to gone; the flowers appear on the earth, the historic ceremonies led by Ecumenical Metropolitan Epifaniy on January 6 at St. George Cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey. the time for singing has come, and the Patriarch Bartholomew. voice of the turtledove is heard in our The mode was traditional: a scroll writ- and peace… also with those brother hier- lished. At the Unification Sobor convened in land.” (Song of Songs 2.11–12) ten by Hieromonk Luke, a skilled calligra- archs who still remain under the omophori- Kyiv with the blessing of your All Holiness We feel that these lyrics of the wise pher and hagiographer, was delivered from on of… our brother Patriarch of Moscow, in and with the support of the Ukrainian state Solomon describe today’s feast and the Xenophontos Monastery in Mount order that, through your inspired presence and our president, the divisions that exist- celebration when the Holy Great Athos of northern Greece. and prudent administrative service, you ed until recently in our Church were elimi- Church of Christ in Constantinople is In an emotionally charged ceremony may help them understand that Ukraine nated and unity was restored. We, elevating the Holy Metropolis of Kyiv broadcast live on TV and online by deserves a united Church body.” Ukrainian hierarchs who arrived for this and all Ukraine to an autocephalous Ukrainian media outlets, the Tomos, or He advised Ukraine’s primate to use the celebration on your invitation, are a visible Church. Indeed, “the winter is past” for decree, that bestowed independence on the Tomos “not as a symbol of power but as a sign of this: once we were divided, and now schisms and divisions. “The rain is national Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was testimony of love and sacrificial mind” we are one.” over and gone” for ecclesiastical isola- presented to Metropolitan Epifaniy. while using its privileges “as elements of Metropolitan Epifaniy also spoke of the tion. The flower of unity “appears on Thus, Ukraine became the 15th auto- crucified love and not as premises for the “Ukrainian nation, which for five years the earth” and “the time has come” for cephalous Church in a community of 300 establishment of an authoritarian Church.” already has suffered from the war brought the glorious Holy Metropolis of Kyiv to million believers. Speaking about the final granting of from the outside to our peaceful home.” He acquire its ecclesiastical indepen- “Today, a new page opens in the history ecclesiastical independence, Metropolitan asked the ecumenical patriarch, the Mother dence, being included in the body of of Ukraine,” Patriarch Bartholomew said on Epifaniy said: “Today, the Ukrainian daugh- Church and all autocephalous Churches “to the local and most holy Orthodox January 5 after signing the scrolled decree ter [of the Mother Church] – thanks to pray for a just peace for Ukraine,” adding, autocephalous Churches, through the while addressing Metropolitan Epifaniy. “We God’s will and your concern as our Mother “We believe that, just as God heard our joint addition of the honorable name of entreat and exhort you to strive for unity Church – has grown and become estab- sincere prayers for peace and unity for our Your Beatitude to the records of the Church, …He will hear these prayers also Orthodox Canonical Diptychs. and will give our state peace and unity, and Glory to the Father and the Son and our nation well-being and prosperity.” the Holy Spirit. The symbolism of the January 6 date It is known that the Ecumenical was not lost on the Ukrainian delegation Patriarchate founded the Holy attending the ceremonies. They sang “Nova Metropolis of Kyiv after previously Radist Stala” (A New Joy has been demonstrating its concern for the illu- Revealed), one of the best known Ukrainian mination and baptism of the glorious carols, after the event’s conclusion. and Christ-loving Kyivan people. In the Metropolitan Epifaniy delivered his first unfolding of the centuries throughout liturgy with the Tomos on Christmas Day its history, the Church of Constanti- on January 7 at Kyiv’s 11th-century St. nople always proved an affectionate Sophia Cathedral. The masterfully created Mother, sacrificially caring about the calligraphic document remained on display challenges that arose periodically, pro- for public viewing until 7 p.m. as lines cir- tecting and preserving this sacred cled the UNESCO heritage site. eparchy like the apple of its eye from For his part, President Petro Poroshenko temptations to change faith, Orthodox of Ukraine thanked the “Holy Synod, the doctrine and ecclesial mindset. And Ecumenical Patriarchate Council,… every whenever historical circumstances so Andriy Kravchenko hierarch who signed the appeal to the imposed, through our ever-memora- Ecumenical Patriarch to provide autoceph- ble predecessor Dionysios IV, the President Petro Poroshenko and Metropolitan Epifaniy, who heads the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine, both carry the scroll on which the Tomos of autocepha- aly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine… At (Continued on page 15) ly is written inside the 11th century St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv on January 7 before the beginning of the Christmas liturgy. (Continued on page 18) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019 No. 2 ANALYSIS How Putin lost Ukraine for good U.S. warship at Romanian port Four Ukrainians dead as ship sinks A U.S. naval warship has arrived at a Four Ukrainian citizens have been killed by Taras Kuzio Ukraine, a large number of patriotic Ukrainians will desert it because it will Romanian port, a show of force by the after a cargo ship sank off Turkey’s Black Russian President Vladimir Putin will henceforth be openly linked to Russia. United States in the Black Sea, which Russia Sea coast, Kyiv’s envoy to Ankara said. The is closely watching. The USS Fort McHenry go down in history as having “lost Two-thirds of Ukrainians view Russia as Panama-flagged vessel sent out a distress is the first U.S. ship to enter the Black Sea Ukraine” for good. Mr. Putin has experi- an “aggressor country.” signal around 150 kilometers off Turkey’s since a naval standoff between Russian and enced two “geopolitical tragedies” with the Black Sea province of Samsun, the Turkish Ukrainian forces near the annexed Crimea disintegration of the USSR in 1991 and dis- Ukraine’s departure from the Russian coast guard said on January 7. The crew of Peninsula in November. Romanian and U.S. integration of the Russian world in 2018. world• Fourth, reconfigure geopolitics. Eastern The Europe’s Tomos geo-and the Volgo Balt 214 vessel included 11 officials say the dock-landing ship arrived On April 14, 2018, 268 deputies in the political map, which was created in the Ukrainians and two Azerbaijanis, Samsun at the port of Constanta on January 7 and Governor Osman Kaymak said. Mr. Kaymak Ukrainian Parliament voted to appeal to 17th and 18th centuries when Muscovy will remain there until January 10. It will Constantinople to grant autocephaly, or transformed into the Russian Empire over said that a total of six crewmen died in the then hold joint sea maneuvers with a tragedy, while seven others were rescued independence, to the Orthodox Church. three stages. Romanian frigate in territorial and interna- Less than a year later on January 5, In 1654, Ukraine and Muscovy signed and taken to hospital. Ukrainian tional waters. It wasn’t immediately clear Ambassador Andriy Sybiha confirmed Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew the Treaty of Pereyaslav, which has always how many U.S. military personnel were signed the official document known as the been viewed by Russian and Soviet leaders there were 11 Ukrainians on board and involved. A U.S. Navy spokesperson told the said that four of them were among the Tomos that created a Ukrainian Orthodox and historians as a “reunion” and by TASS news agency that the warship was in Church independent of Russia. On January Ukrainians as a tactical military alliance dead. There was no information about the the Black Sea in accordance with the inter- nationalities of the other two dead crew 6, on Christmas Eve according to the old against Poland. Crimea was transferred to national Montreux Convention, which gov- Julian calendar, the Tomos was transferred Soviet Ukraine during the 1954 Soviet members.