A “Preacher of Peace” Amid Conflict | Brett R. McCaw | CWR
An interview with His Beatitude, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
At age 44, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk leads the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the largest Eastern Church in communion with Rome. Having previously served as a seminary rector in L’viv and then as bishop for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Argentina, Shevchuk was selected to be head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in March of 2011. A skilled polyglot (he is fully conversant in English, Russian, Italian, Modern Greek, Polish, Italian, and Spanish) and a dynamic pastor, Shevchuk has emerged as a foremost moral and religious voice within a nation mired in political crisis. During his stop in Rome to participate in the canonization ceremony of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, Shevchuk paused to reflect on Ukraine’s Maidan movement, ongoing tensions with Russia, and ecumenism with the Russian Orthodox Church.
CWR: Your Beatitude, priests and bishops of your church have been visibly present in both the Orange Revolution of 2005 and in the Ukrainian Maidan movement earlier this year. In general, how would you describe the role of your church in the renewal of post-Soviet Ukrainian society.
Major Archbishop Shevchuk: First of all, I would like to underline that the whole phenomenon of the Maidan was a bit of a surprise for everybody—even the Church. This was because it was an appearance of civil society in Ukraine whose existence was debated for decades. Moreover, many wondered whether the Ukrainian people were able to peacefully stand together for a European future for their country on the basis of such values as rule of law, rejection of corruption, abhorrence of violence, and intolerance of authoritarian behavior. Many scholars would analyze the situation in Ukraine and would say that Ukrainians were not able to realize such a movement. Nevertheless, that European project became the project of social development in Ukraine and the churches helped to develop this. Last year, before the Maidan movement, the Ukrainian Council of Churches visited Brussels twice and sent several appeals to Ukrainian society concerning the discussion of European values. As churches, we were involved in promoting that discussion and were trying to be, as a church, part of civil society in order to awaken the people. To help them undertake their responsibility for their own country. Not only government or politicians have responsibility, but each, individual citizen.
No one expected that when our president suddenly changed his mind, such a large protest would emerge. So we as a church, as the churches—we did not call the people to protest. We were not those who would encourage such a protest. Yet we followed our people, because we recognized that those people were standing at the Maidan for those values, which we were promoting. If people take a stand for human dignity, rule of law, rejection of violence and corruption—we as a Church have a duty to recognize the moral power of such claims. It is why churches, not just the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, but Orthodox, Protestant, as well as Jewish and Muslim communities, were all present with their people on the Maidan. In some way, the people were leading us. For those three months, we were trying to be with our people and to keep the protest peaceful. I felt I needed to be a “preacher” of peace in order to reach the goals of the Maidan and emphasize peaceful methods were always more powerful and transformative in society than any other form of demonstration.
CWR: In mid-March, Fr. Mykola Kvych, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and chaplain to the Ukrainian navy in Crimea was kidnapped and interrogated by Russian militants. In light of the Russian annexation of Crimea, what is the situation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parishes on the Crimean territory? What do you foresee for your church there in the coming years under Russian occupation?
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