TheUnion of Brest[a] took place in 1595 and 1596 and represented an agreement by Eastern Orthodox Churches in theRuthenian portions of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth to accept the Pope's authority while maintaining Eastern Orthodox liturgical practices, leading to the formation of theRuthenian Uniate Church, which currently exists as theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church and theBelarusian Greek Catholic Church.
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| History of theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church |
|---|
History of Christianity in Ukraine Eastern Catholic Churches |
| Ruthenian Uniate Church to forced dissolution in Soviet Union |
| 1595Union of Brest |
| 1806 transfer ofMetropolitan See fromKyiv toLemberg |
| 1839Synod of Polotsk |
| 1875Conversion of Chełm Eparchy |
| 1907First diaspora bishop |
| 1946Synod of Lviv |
| Council for Religious Affairs |
| Anti-Catholicism in the Soviet Union |
| Eastern Catholic victims of Soviet persecutions |
| Church in Exile |
| 1963 Title ofMajor Archbishop conferred |
| Since re-legalization in Ukraine |
| 1991 return of exiled priests and bishops toLviv |
| 2005 transfer of See from Lviv toKyiv |
Rome-oriented Christians and their Byzantium-oriented counterparts formally severed connections from 1054. Subsequent attempts to unify Eastern Orthodox believers and the Catholic Churches were made on several occasions, including an instance in 1452 in which the deposedMetropolitan of Kiev,Isidore (in office from 1437 to 1441), endorsed the 1439Union of Florence and formally promised the unity of the Ruthenian Orthodox Church with Rome.
In 1588–1589,Patriarch of ConstantinopleJeremias II traveled across Eastern Europe, particularly thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and theTsardom of Russia, where he finally acknowledged theRussian Orthodox Church in Moscow (estranged from Constantinople since the 1440s) and consecratedPatriarch Job of Moscow as the Eastern Orthodox All-Russian Patriarch (a dignity previously held by Isidore from 1437 to 1441). Patriarch Jeremias II deposed the Metropolitan of Kiev,Onesiphorus Divochka [uk], and with the approval of the King of Poland Sigismund III, consecratedMichael Rohoza as the newMetropolitan of Kiev, Halych, and all Rus'.[1]
After Patriarch Jeremias II left Muscovy in 1589,[1] four out of nine bishops of theEastern Orthodox Church in theRuthenian lands of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth gathered in synod in the city ofBrest. They signed a declaration of their readiness to reunite with Rome.[1] The 33 articles of Union were accepted byPope Sixtus V. At first widely successful, the Union lost some of its initial support within the following several decades,[2] mainly due to its enforcement on the Orthodox parishes, which provoked several massive uprisings.
At the request of PrinceKonstanty Wasyl Ostrogski, Hypatius Pociej left his post ofGreater Castellan of Brześć Litewski and accepted the King's appointment to theeparchy of Volodymyr-Brest.[1] Prince Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski considered that the Metropolitan of Kyiv should reach an agreement with the eastern patriarchs, thePatriarch of Moscow, andMetropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina for joint participation in agreement with theLatin Church.[1]
In 1595, both Hedeon Balaban and Mykhailo Kopystenskyi withdrew their signatures from the agreement.[1] That same year the Archbishop of Polotsk, Nathaniel Sielitskyi, died, and was replaced with Herman Zahorksyi.
The union was solemnly and publicly proclaimed in the Hall of Constantine in the Vatican. CanonEustachy Wołłowicz, ofVilnius, read in Ruthenian and inLatin the letter of the Ruthenian episcopate to thePope, dated 12 June 1595.CardinalSilvio Antoniani thanked the Ruthenian episcopate in the name of the Pope, and expressed his joy at the happy event. ThenHipacy Pociej, Bishop of Volodymyr, in his own name and that of the Ruthenian episcopate, read in Latin the formula of abjuration of the 1054 Greek Schism, BishopCyril Terlecki ofLutsk read it in Ruthenian, and they affixed their signatures.Pope Clement VIII then addressed to them an allocution, expressing his joy and promising the Ruthenians his support. A medal was struck to commemorate the event, with the inscription:Ruthenis receptis. On the same day the bullMagnus Dominus et laudabilis nimis was published,[3] announcing to theRoman Catholic world for the first time that Ruthenians were in the unity of the Roman Church. The bull recites the events which led to the union, the arrival of Pociej and Terlecki atRome, their abjuration, and the concession to the Ruthenians that they should retain their own rite, save for such customs as were opposed to the purity of Catholic doctrine and incompatible with the communion of the Roman Church. On 7 February 1596,Pope Clement VIII addressed to the Ruthenian episcopate the briefBenedictus sit Pastor ille bonus, enjoining the convocation of a synod in which the Ruthenian bishops were to recite the profession of the Catholic Faith. Various letters were also sent to the Polish king, princes, and magnates, exhorting them to receive the Ruthenians under their protection. Another bull,Decet Romanum pontificem, dated 23 February 1596, defined the rights of the Ruthenian episcopate and their relations in subjection to theHoly See.[4]
It was agreed that the formulationfilioque should not be inserted in Ruthenians'Nicene Creed, and that the Ruthenians
"should remain with that which was handed down to us in the Holy Scriptures, in the Gospel, and in the writings of the holy Greek Doctors, that is, that the Holy Spirit proceeds, not from two sources and not by a double procession, but from one origin, from the Father through the Son."[b]
The bishops asked to be dispensed from the obligation of introducing theGregorian Calendar, so as to avoid popular discontent and dissensions, and insisted that the king of Poland should grant them, as of right, the dignity of senators.[4]
The union was strongly supported by theKing of Poland andGrand Duke of Lithuania,Sigismund III Vasa, but opposed by some bishops and prominent nobles of Rus', and (perhaps most importantly) by the nascentCossack movement for Ukrainian self-rule. The result was "Rus' fighting against Rus'", and the splitting of the Church of Rus' intoGreek Catholic andGreek Orthodox jurisdictions. The greatest noble to oppose it wasKonstanty Wasyl Ostrogski.[6][need quotation to verify] In 1620, theMetropolis of Kiev, Galicia and all Ruthenia was erected under the care of the Patriarchate of Constantinople for dissenting Eastern Orthodox faithful. This resulted in parallel successions of metropolitans to the same ecclesiastical title in the territory of the Commonwealth.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Palmieri, Aurelio (1912). "Union of Brest". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company.Leaders of theRuthenian Uniate Church | |||||||||
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| Church Primates afterpartitions of Poland |
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