THE METROPOLITANATE GALICIA AND THE GREEK CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF MUKACHEVO: DIFFICULT RELATIONS UNDER OCCUPATION REGIMES (1939 – 1944)

Abstract

The relationships between two Greek Catholic Provinces: the Metropolitanate of Galicia and the Eparchy of Mukachevo under occupation regimes, are highlighted in the article. During this difficult period in the history of both church institutions, cooperation between them was almost impossible since the Metropolitanate of Galicia was already under the Soviet regime while the Eparchy of Mukachevo became part of Hungary. Metropolitan of Galicia Andrey Sheptytsky was forced to fight attacks on the Greek Catholic Church by the "Soviets" and Bishop of Mukachevo Oleksandr Stoyka after receiving the status of "one's own right" ("Ecclesia sui juris") by the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo in 1937, was aimed at full autonomy of the eparchy. The author pays special attention to the incident with the arrest of monks from the Order of St. Basil the Great by the Hungarian authorities. The author describes the process of their release, in which bishops Oleksandr Stoyka and Miklosh Dudash, as well as archpriest Leontii Dolhii (Mariiapovchanskyi (Máriapócs) monastery), took an active part. After analyzing the letters of the mentioned bishops to various government structures of the Kingdom of Hungary, the author concluded that they made every effort to get the Basilian monks out of prison as soon as possible. After the first appeals, the arrested monks were transferred from prison to the Jesuit Church in Budapest, and later, until the moment of their liberation, they lived only in monasteries. Finally, the Basilian monks were released and returned to serve in the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo in August 1942. They were also allowed to engage in missionary activities and participate in mass events. Based on the analysis of archival sources, namely correspondence between Galician priests (who found themselves in refugee camps in Hungary, Austria and Germany) and Mukachevo bishops, we learn about the fate of these pastors, as well as the fact that Bishop Teodor Romzha accepted them for service in the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo. Unfortunately, after the arrival of Soviet authority, Galician priests were arrested: they were accused of anti-Soviet activities and cooperation with the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and sentenced to imprisonment in correctional camps. The researcher introduced into scientific circulation a series of epistolary sources concerning the history of relations between the two ecclesiastical provinces in 1939 – 1944.