[TaxachusettsMan]

So let's be honest:

how do you view the KILLING of all those Ukrainian Catholic priests and religious under Stalin?

Have we heard any formal APOLOGIES yet from Alexy II?

UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS were NOT Russian Orthodox until they were FORCED to abandon their Eastern Catholic communion with the Pope and BECOME Russian Orthodox or die.

So there's the truth.

As opposed to the nonsense YOU posted.

[keat]

So let's be honest:

(Licking finger...touching conservlib ... tssssst ... yep, he's done.)

[RobbyS]

The Bolsheviks killed thousands of priests both Catholic and Orthodox. However Stalin did force many Ukrainians to sever their relations with Rome, More or less the same situation that pertains in China today. What both Catholics and Orthodox should do, of course, is to keep political changes from coming between them. Each should be as independent as possible from the state.

[jb6]

You'll love this insanity.

[jb6]

how do you view the KILLING of all those Ukrainian Catholic priests and religious under Stalin? Have we heard any formal APOLOGIES yet from Alexy II?

With all due regards, are you stoned out of your mind? How about the killing of 300,000+ ORTHODOX priests, nuns, monks and deacons? Who's going to appologize for that? Gads, you want the chief victims to apologize for the crimes of their oppressors? Better tell the Jews to get busy too then.

[RussianBoor]

how do you view the KILLING of all those Ukrainian Catholic priests and religious under Stalin...UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS were NOT Russian Orthodox until they were FORCED to abandon their Eastern Catholic communion with the Pope and BECOME Russian Orthodox or die.

Well, talking about nonsense... Communists forcing people to become Christians... I guess you've just won a top prize for ignorance. Congrats!

[A. Pole]

Have we heard any formal APOLOGIES yet from Alexy II? UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS were NOT Russian Orthodox until they were FORCED to abandon their Eastern Catholic communion with the Pope and BECOME Russian Orthodox or die. So there's the truth.

Do you wan the truth? The Stalin's persecution of Ukrainian Catholics was caused by the same motive Crimean Tartars and Chechens were persecuted - many of them collaborated with the Nazi invaders.

That is why Ukrainian Catholics/Uniates in Poland were treated worse that Latin rite/main stream Catholic who were bravely resisting German occupation.

The reason why Stalin's regime decided to reopen part of Orthodox churches was that the Orthodox bishops agreed to ask people to fight against Hitler. Bolsheviks were enemy of the religion in general, but they differentiated their attitude when it was expedient to them. Asking Alexy II for apology for Soviet crime is ridiculous.

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS were NOT Russian Orthodox until they were FORCED to abandon their Eastern Catholic communion with the Pope and BECOME Russian Orthodox or die.

Not to mention all the Belarusan Catholics who were forced to become Orthodox under the Tsars. Belarus used to be 85% Catholic.

Wikipedia

For example, by the end of the 18th century 70% of Belarusians were Greek Catholics, 15% - Catholics, 7% - Judaists, and only 6% - Russian Orthodox. In 1839 though Russian empire eliminated Greek Catholic (Uniate) church on Belarusian lands and forcefully turned all of their believers into Russian Orthodox faith.

Since president Lukashenko in 1994 has come to power, the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus has been favoured by the government. This has been particularly evident in tax breaks that have allowed the Church to become a large-scale exporter of tax-free vodka and cigarettes. A new religion law was passed in 2003 against the will of Catholics, Protestants as well as other believers. They complain that it discriminates against them, giving preference to the Orthodox Church in many areas.

[Mount Athos]

So let's be honest: how do you view the KILLING of all those Ukrainian Catholic priests and religious under Stalin? Have we heard any formal APOLOGIES yet from Alexy II?

Yes, let's be honest. If you blame the Russian Orthodox church for the killing of Catholic priests by communists under Stalin, and think Alexy II should apologize for it, then perhaps there is no honesty within you. The Russian Orthodox Church suffered many, many times more priests killed by Stalin than the Uniates did. Numerically, it probably amounts to the greatest Christian Martydom in history.

UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS were NOT Russian Orthodox until they were FORCED to abandon their Eastern Catholic communion with the Pope and BECOME Russian Orthodox or die.

Of course if you go back in history to the origins of the Ukranian Catholics, one can see the reverse situation. Ukranian Orthodox, were forced to become Ukranian Catholic or die. The Ukranian Catholic church of today would never have come into existence without such tactics. The Roman Catholics sainted one of these Uniate leaders famous for such attrocities against the Orthodox, Josephat Kuntsevich. An equivalent move would be for the Orthodox to saint Stalin, which they have not done.

Speaking of stolen properties, did you know that Roman Catholic armies stole huge amounts of Christian relics and artifacts from the central Orthodox city of Constantinople in 1204? A few have been returned, but to this day the Vatican retains possession of a majority of these stolen treasures, many on display in Vatican museums. I will say that Russians should return Catholic churches stolen by Stalin, will you say the Vatican should return its stolen property as well?

Sigh, so here we have yet another thread started by a Roman Catholic, full of so much hatred and misinformation against the Orthodox. Then in the same breath, these people then wonder what the problem is with unification, putting the blame solely on the other side, while playing victim.

If you are wondering what the problem is, look in the mirror.