On the one hand one can sympathise with those in distress
over the schism and the way in which it has divided Ukrainian society.
On the other hand, isn't this what Orthodox ecclesiastical
polity has always been about? The Byzantine system has been shackled to the
state for more than a millennium. Yes, the divisions are political. That's
nothing new. When you wed your Church and your understanding of Christianity to
the interests of the tribe and the state, this is what you get.
You want the benefits of social respectability and power...
then you have to take it when it turns against you.
Or as one wisely said.... he who lives by the sword, dies by
it.
It's all the more sad when you've wed your faith to corrupt
oligarchs and villainous politicians. They use people and destroy their enemies
and they certainly collaborate with their lapdog clergy. This is true of both
Putin and Poroshenko.
Poroshenko's fascistic campaign centred on army, language, faith is but an echo of
Orthodoxy's long legacy, one that has infected Russia, Serbia and at other
times Romania, Greece and now for the second time in the last one hundred
years.... Ukraine.
And lest I sound like a Latin apologist, the Western legacy (while
of a slightly different hue) is no less vicious and opposed to the Scriptures.
Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Spain certainly come to mind. And of course today we're
all watching the developments in nations like Poland, Slovakia and Estonia.
The story also evokes memories of the past when we read of
priests subjected to police intimidation and claims on icons and other
religious artifacts. These 'religious' aspects are fully political, especially
in the Byzantine context.
One thing is clear... Even though it pretends to be,
Poroshenko's Ukraine is neither liberal or even 'Western'. It has fallen into
classic patterns of Byzantine and fascist rule and as misleading as the
Venezuela coverage has been in the West, the mainstream media's Anti-Maduro
campaign pales when compared to the whitewash of their coverage of Poroshenko
and Ukraine.
Poroshenko's days seem to be numbered as the actor Volodymyr
Zelensky seems poised to win the March 31 presidential contest. Even the
corrupt, tarnished but ever engaging Yulia Tymoshenko is outpolling Poroshenko
or nearly so. It will be interesting to see if she's able to make a big
comeback and enter the upper echelons of Ukrainian politics. Both Zelensky and
Tymoshenko are tied to big money but in very different ways. However they have
a common friend in Ihor Kolomoyskyi, one of the most powerful oligarchs in the
Ukraine who is also connected to Israeli politics. You can't make this stuff
up.
It would seem Kolomoyskyi has had a falling out with
Tymoshenko but his role in the upcoming political order is certain to be
significant. Many view Zelensky as his creation, a proxy for oligarchical and
even outside interests.
These are figures not exactly on Washington's favourite list
but at the same time they are proven enemies of Moscow and its interests. At
this point the US has expressed mixed feelings about Poroshenko. He's corrupt
and ineffective and it would probably be prudent to let him go but at the same
time the incoming crop of political leaders are not as reliable.
There's a lot riding on these elections both for Ukraine and
the EU/NATO's posture vis-à-vis Moscow. And of course there are many
Protestants in Ukraine caught in the middle. There are probably no good options
for settlement. Personally I hope Ukraine does not enter NATO and that the
Donbass conflict comes to some kind of peaceful resolution... whether as part
of Ukraine or not, it makes no difference. What we must ultimately hope for is
de-escalation and stability. This will allow the true Biblically minded churches
to flourish and in terms of the day to day lives of the people, the stability
will facilitate economic activity which at this point is badly needed.
Additionally a modicum of economic and social stability will
deflate the growing Right-wing and the Neo-fascist movements.
Ukraine has its own plagues, both internally and regionally
with its neighbours but it is the outside interests that threaten to stoke the
fires of violence.
The Orthodox schism is but a facet within this larger
conflict. The Orthodox Churches have no identity separate from the world and
its politics.
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