Orientales Omnes Ecclesiae - Encyclical Background

Encyclical Background

While most Oriental Christians belong to an Orthodox Church, some like the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ruthenian Church, are united with Rome, which allowed them to keep their own Oriental liturgy and Church laws. The Ruthenian Catholic Church is located in Ukraine. Ruthenian Catholics call themselves Rusyns. They are closely related to the Ukrainians and speak a dialect of the same language. The traditional Rusyn homeland extends into northeast Slovakia and the Lemko region of southeast Poland. Until 1922, the area was largely a part of Austria-Hungary. After becoming Polish, which follows the Latin Rite, Polonisation and significant problems for all Orthodox, including united Christians developed. Some Ruthenians resisting Polonisation, felt deserted by the Vatican and returned to the Orthodox Church. After World War II, in 1945, Polish and Slovakian areas became part of the Soviet Union, which exerted pressure on the Ruthenians and other Ukrainians united with Rome, to sever relations and join the Orthodox Church, headed the Patriarch of Moscow. It was claimed that (1) the union with Rome was a Polish conspiracy to dominate and wipe out the culture of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: (2) United orthodox faithful and priests had to suffer under Polish bishops of the Latin Rite and Polonisation. (3) But now they are liberated by the glorious Soviet Army under the leadership of the incomparable Marshall Josef Stalin, and therefore, continued ties to Rome are no longer necessary. The new Patriarch Alexius I called on Catholics, for a separation from Rome:

• • Liberate yourself! You must brake the Vatican chains, which throw you into the abyss of error, darkness and spiritual decay. Hurry, return to the your true mother, the Russian Orthodox Church!

Pope Pius XII answered: "Who does not know, that Patriarch Alexius I recently elected by the dissident bishops of Russia, openly exalts and preaches defection from the Catholic Church in a letter lately addressed to the Ruthenian Church, a letter, which contributes not a little to the persecution?" He mentions the proclaiming, that religious persecution will never happen again. “This had given us hope that peace and true liberty would be granted everywhere to the Catholic Church, the more so since the Church has always taught, and teaches, that obedience to the ordinances of the lawfully established civil power, within the sphere and bounds of its authority, is a duty of conscience. But, unfortunately, the events we have mentioned have grievously and bitterly weakened, have almost destroyed, our hope and confidence so far as the lands of the Ruthenians are concerned.