"Ukraine is in every beat of our heart" - Ecumenical Patriarch hopes for the unity of the Ukrainian Church and People in shared Christian faith and values

Francis X. Rocca, Catholic News Service, interviewed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople ahead of his meeting with Pope Francis in Jerusalem May 25. See the full interview here.


At the end, Rocca asked Patriarch Bartholomew about unity between the ancient, separate but closely related Churches in the Middle East at one of their greatest times of crisis. He went on to ask a similar question about Ukraine. The relevant extract from the interview follows:



Q: How does the predicament of Christians in the Middle East today affect ecumenical dialogue? Does it increase the urgency of better relations between the churches?
A: The predicament of our brothers and sisters throughout the Middle East -- whether it be our Coptic brethren in Egypt or the Christian Orthodox, Armenian, Syriac, Melkite, Maronite, Protestant and others in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Libya and elsewhere, it is the responsibility of all Christians to be their brethren's keepers. This is most of all a matter of love and basic human compassion. The ecumenical implications are not so much about any political solidarity, but about spiritual solidarity and shared humanity. The urgency is upon us and it is among the principle concerns that we shall discuss with His Holiness Pope Francis in Jerusalem.

Q: Would you comment on recent events in Ukraine and their impact on the Orthodox Church, both internally and with respect to relations with Ukrainian Catholics? What do the events in Ukraine suggest about the relationship between national identity and Christian unity?
A: The situation in Ukraine is in every beat of our heart. We pray without ceasing for peaceful and nonviolent means to be employed by all parties. We know that there are those who would divide the Ukrainian people along religious lines - Catholic against Orthodox and even Orthodox against Orthodox. Such a sad and cynical strategy will fail, because it underestimates the nobility of Ukraine and her glorious Christian history. The roots of faith go deep in the rich soil of Ukraine, which has brought forth great exemplars of faith. What remains to be seen is how the precious Ukrainian people will align their own destiny with such a wondrous past. How their identity shapes their national consciousness and spiritual values must be allowed to evolve in a positive and peaceful way. Any other solution for Ukraine will destroy the fragile democracy that has barely emerged from the crushing atheistic Soviet era.

Read more online from CNS:
Patriarch says he will discuss Middle East Christians with Pope