Re:
“Christian? No. Orthodox? Apparently so.” by
Larissa Bayrachny (Ukrainian News, October 25 – November 7, 2012, Vol.
LXXXV,
No. 21, p. 6)
Mr.
Levytsky:
I
wish to express my extreme disappointment with your choice to print the
above-mentioned opinion piece. Quite frankly, I consider it very
insulting to
suggest (by the title) that I or my church is somehow “not Christian”
because
the Church does not march to the decision-making drum of special
interests who
are determined to weave their own politics into the life of the Body of
Christ.
It is fascinating how much we as a Ukrainian community continually
become
engaged with and pay attention to those who speak
of unity while, quite ironically, act
by working to divide...
Considering
you know the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada has a ruling bishop of
its
Western Eparchy resident here, in Edmonton (along with three members of
its
Consistory; two more in Calgary), available for consultation about such
matters, I am surprised that you, Mr. Levytsky, made the decision to
forego any
fact-finding about the issues raised in this opinion piece and opted
instead
for sensation and controversy. While that may sell newspapers, can you
expect
me to support Ukrainian
News
when it seems you are more than
willing to use it to insult me and the church I serve?
This
type of polemic is, for me, reminiscent of the religion-based “smear
wars”
battled out on the pages of Ukrainian-Canadian periodicals of decades
past.
Thankfully, that destructive and divisive behaviour has long-since
disappeared.
Alas, there are those who, for whatever reason, are unhappy “де згода
в родині, де
мир і тишина” in the Church and
need to stir the proverbial pot to be happy; now, it seems you, Mr.
Levytsky,
are willing to sacrifice the integrity of Ukrainian
News
in support of this attempt at disharmony and to be a
platform and voice for “a group of private individuals concerned for
the future
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada...” rather than a conveyor
of the facts
about how the leadership of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada makes its decisions and forms
opinions
about the various challenges this age presents us.
Should you
choose to continue to promote this
divisive behaviour, I’m sure you’ll understand that as a priest of the
very
church you have played a part in insulting, I cannot continue to
endorse Ukrainian
News
in my community.
If however, you wish to report the facts about issues in the UOCC, we
are at
your disposal...
Priest
Cornell Zubritsky, Edmonton, AB