Ukraine Warms to Vatican — But Not Pope

Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano received a “warm welcome” on his recent visit to Ukraine, but the Pope won't any time soon, said a June 4 Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty report.

On Cardinal Sodano's week-long visit in June, he met with the president and prime minister and even opened an apostolic nunciature office.

“The relations between Ukraine and the Vatican are expanding,” said the report. “President Kuchma visited the Vatican three years ago, and last year met the Pope in Poland while visiting with other Central European presidents. It has also been reported in the Ukrainian media that Kuchma would soon appoint an ambassador to the Vatican to strengthen ties.”

“There is little prospect, however, for the papal visit to Ukraine in the foreseeable future because of the religious tension in the country.”

“The Pope has long been reported to be interested in visiting Ukraine — he has already visited more than 100 countries during his almost 20 years in the office. During recent years there have been occasional rumors that such a visit might have been in the offing. But the Kiev government remains reluctant.”

The Orthodox Christians of the country are split among themselves between those who recognize the Patriarch of Moscow and those who are part of the Ukranian Independent Orthodox Church. The two sides disagree about many things — but they both oppose the Pope, and both assume his visit would be intended to strengthen the Greek Catholic, or Uniate, minority there, according to the report.

At Jubilee, Only Christian Martyrs Will Be Honored

When people learned that the Church would recognize non-Catholic martyrs as part of the Jubilee Year 2000 celebrations in Rome, controversy was expected. The Vatican has received some 8,000 suggestions for new martyrs from around the globe. One suggestion prompted a decision that will help cool arguments: non-Christians like Anne Frank will not be included.

On June 9, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that “an Italian Catholic Church official wants the Vatican to recognize Anne Frank as part of an ecumenical commemoration of new martyrs” for the year 2000, [raising] Jewish concerns that the Church might attempt to appropriate the Dutch Jewish girl — known for the diary she kept as she and her family hid from the Nazis — as a Catholic symbol.

“The Italian media reported over the weekend that Msgr. Antonio Pace of Naples had formally submitted the request to the Vatican. But a spokesman at the Vatican's office told [a reporter June 8] that no such formal request had arrived. He said the Vatican's proposed new martyrs would all be Christians.

“‘It seems to be just a proposal floated by the priest in question as a means of widening the discussion,’ the Vatican official said of Pace's remarks.”

“Pace last week urged that the list be widened to include Frank as well as Iqbal Masih, a 12-year-old Pakistani Muslim boy who was killed because of his activities protesting the exploitation of child laborers,” as a means of promoting inter-religious dialogue.