Ut unum sint: Ukraine and Poland

Zoreslawa Kowal

Marko Tomashek

Marek Zurowski

Ukraine and Poland reconciled

In his address to the members of ROACO ("Riunione Opere Aiuto Chiese Orientali", i.e. "Meeting of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches") on 23 June 2005, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the ancient Christian tradition of better-off communities supporting needy ones and appealed for solidarity with the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine so as to foster "reconciliation and fraternity between Christians" in the country, the majority of whom are Orthodox. For the Pope, the ongoing development of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church after decades of Communist oppression constitutes" a reason for hope, as the ancient and noble heritage, which the Greek Catholic community guards, constitutes an authentic treasure for the progress of the whole Ukrainian people".

These words echo the unforgettable farewell message of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, which most Ukrainians still harbour deep in their hearts. Upon leaving the Ukraine after his pastoral visit in June 2001, John Paul II said: "Goodbye, Ukraine!... I ask Almighty God to bless you, the people of Ukraine, and to heal all your wounds. May his great love fill your hearts and guide you in the Third Christian Millennium towards a new future."

Two years later, many Poles and Ukrainians were moved by Pope John Paul?s insistent call for reconciliation, urging them to make "a thorough account of sins" and "look at each other with an eye for reconciliation" after more than four centuries of mutual prejudice and reciprocal offence that all too often climaxed in violent conflict costing many lives. The seeds sown in Pope John Paul?s fatherly catechesis on the true essence of Christian love helped to overcome ingrained hurdles and yielded a ripe harvest during the joint Eucharistic Congresses that were recently held in Warsaw (Poland) on June 19 and in Lviv (Ukraine) on June 24-26, 2005.

Accepting the special grace flowing from the Year of the Holy Eucharist, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Archbishop Jozef Michalik of Przemysl, head of the Polish Bishops' Conference, decided to make an explicit act of reconciliation between the Polish and Ukrainian people. According to Cardinal Husar, "the Eucharist is a symbol of our life with God and other people. Against this background, reconciliation will not only be represented correctly, but will also become a major act of our faith". The Cardinal said that several attempts to promote reconciliation between the two peoples had been taken in the past. The first initiative took place in 1945 in Rome at a meeting between Polish Cardinal August Hlond and Ukrainian Archbishop Ivan Bucko, even as Ukrainian-Polish fighting was still going on. Soviet expansion after World War II and its policy of divide et impera prevented any further peace progress between Poles and Ukrainian. New horizons for rapprochement opened up only after the collapse of Communism in the wake of perestroika. Thus a second, more official act took place in 1987 in Rome between the episcopates of both countries. They agreed on a common reconciliation declaration. But the movement for reconciliation also grew from below through joint prayer initiatives, pilgrimages and scholarly symposia.

All these efforts reach their final culmination on June 26, when representatives of both Church hierarchies, some 500 priests and over 100,000 people participated in a solemn liturgy headed by Cardinal Lubomyr Husar to close the Eucharistic Congress. The venue was John Paul II Square opposite the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Lviv-Sykhiv, where John Paul II had met the youth of Ukraine fours year earlier.

Eucharistic communion is a painful issue for Ukrainians. According to Fr. Mykhaylo Dymyd, head of the organising committee of the Eucharistic Congress in Lviv, "all members of the Kyivan Church shared the same Eucharistic table up to 1596, the year of the Union of Brest-Litovsk. From 1596 until 1722 or 1744 - according to various documents - we (i.e. the Greek Catholics) retained the possibility of sharing the Eucharist with our brothers under the jurisdiction of Constantinople, even though we ourselves were under Roman jurisdiction. Today, Canon Law, does not allow such a practice. As children of the Kyivan Church, we intend to research our history and demonstrate for ourselves and for the Universal Church that it is possible to share the Eucharist with other Christian Churches even if they are not of the same jurisdiction. This is also one of the main prayer intentions of our Eucharistic Congress."

Yet the pain from missing communion with other descendants of the ancient Kyivan Church did not lessen the joy over the joint message of the Polish and Ukrainian episcopates ?Reconciliation between peoples is possible?, which was proclaimed before the solemn Eucharistic Liturgy on John Paul II square in Lviv-Sykhiv. Six people from both Ukraine and Poland - a bishop, a priest, a married couple, a boy and a girl ? chosen to symbolically represent the entirety of the two peoples, performed the act of reconciliation.

The historical message of the bishops of the two peoples confirms that many Poles and Ukrainian have come to realise that despite their differences and all the grave conflicts and mutual injustices of the past, they have something much more precious in common: "the tradition of the one faith, unity in Holy Baptism, thanks to which (they have) been incorporated into the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ." As far as the diversity of religious rites and cultures is concerned, it is "but a reflection of the great richness intrinsic to faith in the true God, one in the Most Holy Trinity".

Even the good periods in Polish-Ukrainian history, when they "shared a common fate, trod the same path, jointly overcame a number of trials", were possible because they "utilised each other's spiritual treasures, drawing the strength to persevere and hope from the Christianity they shared." The bishops exhort their peoples to "remember, first of all, that we are children of God? and to ask God for forgiveness and then to forgive one another.

The example of Pope John Paul II, who asked forgiveness for the historical failings of the Catholic Church so that anger, injustice and untruth may be banished from the hearts of Christians, and the atmosphere of love during his visit to Ukraine have enabled joint commemoration of the victims of fratricidal Ukrainian-Polish conflicts to take place. The two cemeteries of the two opposing armies that fought for Lviv during World War I are now no longer the site to seek revenge, but rather the site for common prayer by both peoples for the fallen on both sides. On June 24, 2005 Presidents Kwasniewski and Yushchenko, along with Church leaders from both countries, attended the ceremony marking the restoration of the cemeteries of the Polish "Eaglets" and the Ukrainian Galician Army. President Kwasniewski noted: "The remains of participants of Polish-Ukrainian battles are resting here"Two desires, two forms of patriotism, two national types of pride clashed with each other." President Viktor Yushchenko stressed "that there is no free Poland without a free Ukraine, and there is no free Ukraine without a free Poland. Let these great words float above this holy place. They bring peace and prosperity to our peoples. They bring peace to the souls of those fallen."

Reconciliation between peoples is always possible. Poland and Ukraine provide us with a fresh link in the chain of European reconciliation that started with France and Germany, then with Poland and Germany. It is a sign of hope for other trouble spots in the world, such as Northern Ireland, Rwanda-Burundi (Hutus & Tutsies, Colombia.

"Father Werenfried (1913-2003), who founded our charity in 1947, would have been very happy to see this fruit of his decade-long effort to help the Catholic Churches of both nations"; according to Fr. Joaquin Alliende, Aid to the Church in Need?s International Ecclesiastical Assistant. Fr. Werenfried was a personal friend not only of the Polish Pope, but also of the Polish Cardinals Wyszynski and Glemp as well Ukrainian Patriarchs Josyf Slipyj and Myroslav Lubachivskyj.

Father Werenfried's incessant preaching and practical efforts to promote reconciliation and forgiveness between former enemies became the hallmark of Aid to the Church in Need. "God is returning!" were his prophetic words three decades ago when writing about Eastern European countries. "He who has eyes to see, sees Him rising radiantly as once Christ rose on Easter morning"In Moscow, Prague, Warsaw and elsewhere the sentries at the tomb are dismayed at the cry for God and freedom that rises up louder and louder against them"This sign gives us the certainty that God is our loving Father who, for the sake of a small number of just, transforms the evil of the world into good".