Information report. Of the Commissioner of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR for the Ukrainian SSR for the 4th quarter of 1945. January 1946, secret

· Orthodoxy, Russian Orthodox Church, Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults under the USSR Council of Ministers, Ukraine

Reunification of the Uniates with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The preparatory work among the Uniates towards reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church proceeded during the reporting period under complicated conditions. First, the positions of the rank-and-file Greek Catholic clergy, who were closely connected with the masses of believers and led these masses, were for the most part unsteady, wavering, and in some cases even hostile regarding the matter of adhering to the declaration of the initiative group of Dr. Kostelnyk, Melnyk, and Polvetsky. And, second, the Ukrainian-German nationalists (Banderites), who initially treated the activities of the initiative group indifferently (italics — author’s), now displayed particular activity in provoking and intimidating the clergy, frequently escalating to terrorizing them and generally terrorizing all those inclined to the implementation of the idea of reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church.

All this caused, on the one hand, among the Greek Catholic clergy a lack of confidence in the durability of Soviet power in the western regions, i.e., uncertainty that the western regions of Ukraine would remain part of the Soviet state after the conclusion of peace treaties, and, on the other, the entire reactionary element among the Greek Catholic clergy began deliberately to hinder the success of the work of adhering to the initiative group for reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church — to the point of shifting to the positions of the Ukrainian-German nationalists (Banderites).

Examples:

The superior of the Dobromyl monastery of the Basilian order, Hegumen Rozumiyko, summoned the parish priests to him and took an oath from them that they would not join the initiative group.

To this group, as persistent, one may add the nuns — the “Sisters Servants” of the Virgin Mary “immaculately conceived.”

Roman Catholic priests influence the priests of the Greek Catholic Church, restraining them from reunification with the Orthodox Church, and provide material support to monks who have started attending the church (priest Bonas, Drohobych).

Many Greek Catholic priests told Dr. Melnyk: “I will submit an application for joining, just wait a little — until the priest leaves for Poland” (city of Sambor and others).

In general, submitting applications to join the initiative group took place amid great struggle among the priests: each one with himself, as they say, with his own conscience, and with one another.

In the village of Hurie, Strylky district, the Ukrainian-German nationalists held a meeting on the question of reunification of the Greek Catholic Church with the Orthodox Church. They called for adhering to the faith of the fathers and not joining the Orthodox. They threatened the priest with reprisal in the old‑fashioned way…

A similar meeting was held by the bandits in early December in the village of Drozhzhevo, Dubliany district.

Cases have occurred when three priests fled from their parishes, their destination and purpose unknown (Diba Vasyl — village of Dubliany, Fedovych Ivan — village of Rada-Kontsy, Mostyska district, and Kovalsky Anton — village of Khrevt, Nizhne-Ustryky district).

Priests arrested for aiding the Germans, betraying Soviet activists during the temporary German occupation, espionage, etc. — thirty‑five persons…

This once again confirms that part of the clergy of the Greek Catholic Church is connected with the Ukrainian-German nationalists and helps them by all possible means. But the majority of priests have taken the path of supporting the Soviet government (from the report of the Council’s commissioner for Drohobych region, Comrade Sherstyuk).

Similar phenomena were observed during this period in other western regions of Ukraine as well.

In his report, the Council’s commissioner for Lviv region, Comrade Vyshnevsky, notes: “In November of this year, one priest from Sokilnyky district who had joined the initiative group was taken into the forest by the Banderites, and to this day nothing is known about his fate.

The priest Vynnytsky from Zhovkva district, who had accepted Orthodoxy, was robbed by the Banderites, and some time later they delivered a letter to him in which they wrote that if he did not immediately leave the district, he would be destroyed.

Vynnytsky had to be transferred to another district.

Any slightest disagreements in international relations not in our favor are used by the Banderites to spread provocative rumors about the inevitability of war and the fall of Soviet power, and this, together with their terror, has a negative effect on the clergy.”

In essence, all the practical work of the commissioners of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR in the western regions of Ukraine, apart from supervising the legality regarding Orthodox churches and resolving issues pertaining to these churches (believers to clergy), was also directed toward comprehensively supporting the activities of the initiative group on matters of reunification of the Uniates with the Russian Orthodox Church.

This (the second part of the work) boiled down mainly to the following aspects:

a) organizing trips by members of the initiative group and their authorized representatives to the deaneries and parishes of the Greek Catholic Church for the purpose of explaining the idea of reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church and collecting applications from those wishing to join the initiative group;

b) registering the Greek Catholic clergy who had joined the initiative group and received certificates to that effect from it;

c) gathering statistical information on the number of active and inactive churches, houses of prayer, and monasteries of the Greek Catholic Church;

d) assisting the Lviv Orthodox Bishop Makariy and the Orthodox clergy in matters of transferring to their use buildings of former Uniate or Catholic churches and houses of prayer that had been abandoned for some reason by Uniate or Catholic clergy, etc., etc.

All of this contributed to the fact that, by early December, in Lviv, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), Drohobych, and Ternopil oblasts, members of the initiative group had largely conducted deanery meetings and conferences of the Greek Catholic clergy, at which decisions were made to break with the Vatican and to join the initiative group in order to implement its ideas—reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church. Thus, according to data from the Council’s representatives, by October the following had already in practice joined the initiative group:

In Lviv Oblast — 233 priests out of 298 persons, or 79%

In Stanislav Oblast — 188 priests out of 341 persons, or 55%

47 deacons out of 390 persons, or 12%

In Drohobych Oblast — 237 priests out of 324 persons, or 85%

In Ternopil Oblast — 188 priests out of 270 persons, or 60%

It should be noted that the figures indicating the number of Greek Catholic clergy who by the end of December 1945 remained outside the initiative group are in fact significantly reduced if one takes the following into account:

“Of the remaining 65 unaffiliated persons — 18 have been repressed, 17 are very elderly, between 75 and 90 years of age. Thus, there remain 30 actively obstinate priests” (from the report of Comrade Vishnevsky).
“37 priests did not join, including 9 priests of the Basilian Order. Two priests, among them: Verbitsky (village N.-Ustriky) and Ivanov (village Zhuravno) renounced the priestly rank and took up secular work.

Among those who did not submit applications to join the initiative group, 12 priests are elderly (they no longer conduct services independently) and, of course, ill” (from the report of Comrade Sherstyuk).

The same can be said with respect to the non-affiliated priests in Stanislav and Ternopil oblasts. True, even in the latter situation a significant group of obstinate priests still remained in these oblasts, which is explained by the fact that here the work of the initiative group had not been properly organized at the start. Moreover, it was only recently that Council representatives were appointed at the oblast executive committees. However, now the shortcomings have been addressed and the work has become more intensive. For example, regarding Ternopil Oblast:

“In recent days, a number of priests of former Greek Catholic churches visited in order to clarify how to prepare materials for registration. The visiting priests stated that among the faithful, except for an insignificant minority, there are no objections to reunification.”

…

Characteristically, along with this, despite hostile agitation from a reactionary segment of the clergy, despite intimidation by Ukrainian-German nationalists and their sympathizers, there are nevertheless instances of positive initiative on the part of the believing masses. Specifically, without waiting for a Council of Greek Catholic clergy to be convened for the official reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church, religious communities are adopting resolutions on reunification and duly proceeding to formalize this purpose.

For example, Greek Catholic communities either have already registered in this way as Orthodox communities or have declared such registration:

In Drohobych Oblast — 4 communities have registered and 33 have declared registration

In Ternopil Oblast — 3 communities have registered

In Lviv Oblast — 2 communities have registered

In Chernivtsi Oblast — 9 communities have registered

In Volyn Oblast — 2 communities have registered

In total, there are 2,286 Greek Catholic religious communities in the four western oblasts: Lviv — 522, Drohobych — 658, Stanislav — 567, and Ternopil — 539 (according to data of the Representative of the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults under the Council of People’s Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR).

In mid-December 1945 (from 12 to 13 December), a joint meeting of the Council representatives for the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church and of religious cults in the western oblasts was held in Kyiv with the aim of summarizing the results of the efforts to reunite Uniates with the Russian Orthodox Church and outlining further plans for this work. Present at the meeting were both chairmen, Comrade G. G. Karpov and Comrade I. V. Polyansky, as well as Council members Comrades Utkin and Pugo.

After the meeting, a reception was given for members of the initiative group, Doctors Kostelnyk, Melnyk, and Pelvetsky. Present were Comrades G. G. Karpov, I. V. Polyansky, P. S. Khodchenko, P. A. Vilkhovyi, Colonel Karin, and Captain Bogdanov (in civilian clothes)—officers of the NKGB. At this reception the question of readiness for convening a Council of representatives of the Greek Catholic clergy was discussed, with the aim of officially adopting and proclaiming the act of breaking with the Vatican and reuniting with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Subsequently, the Chairman of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, Comrade G. G. Karpov, and the Chairman of the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults, Comrade I. V. Polyansky, were received by the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR, Comrade N. S. Khrushchev, and the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR, Comrade L. R. Korniyets.

The further work of the Council representatives at the oblast executive committees for the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church in the western oblasts is proceeding according to the plan adopted at the meeting—preparation for the Council scheduled to take place in early March 1946.

Central State Archive of Public Organizations of Ukraine, f. 1, op. 23, d. 1641, ll. 126–132.

Cited from: The Greek Catholic Church in 1944–1991, publ. by V. Sh. Serhiychuk // Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal, Kyiv, 1996, No. 4, pp. 109–112

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