Letter to Mr Yuriy Reshetnikov

Dear Mr Reshetnikov,

Your reply of 26th June 2009 N. 7/2-19-107 testifies that it is not us but You who commit a gross violation of the Ukrainian legislation and misinterpret even the canon laws (CCEO) concerning internal Church affairs. Your overall attitude is discriminatory and suppresses religious freedom which in Ukraine is denied neither to Muslims nor to Buddhists nor to Hindus.

Justification of our statement:

Church and State are separate in Ukraine, and therefore to pass official judgements or to make commentaries on the internal ecclesiastical affairs is a violation of the Ukrainian legislation. We do not violate the canon law. On the contrary, in accordance with the Gospel and with the Code of Canons of Oriental Churches (CCEO) we defend the fundamental truths of the Christian faith and morals. Thus we defend even the very canon law which does not allow obeying heretics and orders faithfulness to Christ even at the price of condemnation on the part of the heretical hierarchy. Throughout the history of the Church such situation repeated itself many times – beginning with the Old-Testament prophets to the Son of God Himself who was condemned and killed by the official Church hierarchy.

If You appeal to CCEO and state that we transgress it, we remind that it is not us but Cardinal Husar and the official hierarchy of the UGCC who denied all the foundation of the canon law as well as of Christianity by falling under an anathema, God’s curse, by reason of public proclamation of and unity with heresies which destroy the foundations of the Christian faith. In compliance with God’s laws as well as the canon law both Cardinal Husar and the apostatical Synod are excommunicated from the Church. Naturally, they continue in the power structure and are not willing to freely give up the official authority. That was why we have turned to the state authorities of Ukraine, in order that our Orthodox Catholic Bishops’ Synod (9 bishops) could be officially registered and we could have not only the spiritual power, which we do have now and which they (apostates) lost, but also an official administrative structure. The purpose is that the priests and believers who want to be saved and want to be officially incorporated in the Church may have an opportunity to leave the heretical structure and to join the orthodox one. Supposing You administratively enable such division, it will be no disruption, but rather an operation which will lead to the salvation of life. This operation will bring recovery of the spiritual sphere of all Ukraine, which will consequently bear fruit in the economic, moral, social and humanitarian sphere as well. Defence of heresies brings down a curse on the individual and on the whole nation.

We insist on the name OGCC, which means “Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church”, because we indeed have the orthodox Catholic and Christian teaching. Your assertion that we cannot bear the name Catholic is unsubstantiated and applies to the hitherto heretical structure. Moreover, from another point of view, the name Catholic may be borne even by someone who is not in unity with Rome, e.g. the Old Catholic Church or the title of the patriarch of the Armenian Church – Supreme Catholicos, etc. So we insist on the name OGCC (Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church).

There are three Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. The Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate does not lay claim to the name Orthodox, forbidding the Kiev or Autocephalous Orthodox Churches to use it just because they are not subordinate to Moscow.

Dear Sir, we would like to ask You once more for detailed information concerning registration of the Church (e.g. the number of people necessary for registration etc.). We would like to ask You, too, to deal with our matter justly, in compliance with the Ukrainian laws.

Thanks in advance for Your reply.

                                                                       + Markian V. Hitiuk OSBM

                                                           Secretary of the orthodox Catholic Synod

Copies to:

-          President of Ukraine, V. Yushchenko

-          The Holy Father Benedict XVI

-          MPs, Ukraine

-          Patriarchs and Bishops of the Orthodox Churches

                                                                                                                      Pidhirtsi, 26th July 2009

Enclosure: The statement of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate on our Synod