Bizantine Catholics of Central and Eastern Europe between the Western World and the "Orthodox Civilization"

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

The round table will focus on the interplay between ecclesial and national identities of the Greek-Catholics in Ukraine and in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. For centuries, “the Uniates” had to resist the attempts to deprive them of their ecclesial status--be it by imposing a “more dignified” Latin rite or by “returning” them forcibly to the Orthodoxy. Today, Eastern Catholics regard themselves as independent Churches of their own right ("sui iuris") in communion with Rome and not as a part of the Roman Catholic Church. Along with individual Orthodox Churches, they seek to be mediators and communicators in relations between Christian East and Christian West. That said, there is a pressing need to clarify, both historically and theologically, a number of issues. In what way did the Church Union help the people to distinguish themselves from other (and often dominant) ethnic and religious communities? And conversely, how the Greek-Catholic Churches try to find their place in the today’s secularized and post-secular Europe, and how they respond to the new global challenges of populism and aggressive nationalism?

Sub Unit

• Religion/Philosophy

Chair

• Yury P Avvakumov, U of Notre Dame

Roundtable Members

• Katrin Elisabeth Boeckh, Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (Germany)

• Iryna Fenno, Taras Shevchenko National U of Kyiv (Ukraine)

• Vyacheslav Karpov, Western Michigan U

• Magdalena Joanna Nowak, U of Gdansk (Poland)

• Oleh Turiy, Ukrainian Catholic U (Ukraine)