Regarding the personal ecclesiastic project of Havryil Kostelnyk

Abstract

The article reconstructs ecclesiastic beliefs of Ukrainian philosopher and
theologian Havryil Kostelnyk (1886–1948) within late period of his work and
church activities. The author considers that the major factors that influenced
the formation of these views were modernist ways of thinking of Kostelnyk, as
well as his ambitious character that was extended for the entire Greek Catholic
Galician Metropolitanate. It was modernist and doctrinal relativism and the fact
that he believed in messianic significance of Galician Metropolitanate that made
Kostelnyk reject Primacy of the Pope and wish to separate Galician Metropolitanate from Rome. Orientation to Eastern Orthodoxy became for him a specific
form of expression of his modernist views. Kostelnyk wanted to turn Galician
Metropolitanate not simply into Autocephalous Orthodox Church but into “mod-
ernist Autocephalous Orthodox Church”. Kostelnyk had to give up on complete
autocephaly due to occupation of Western Ukraine by Soviet troops and intention
of Communistic government to join Galician metropolis with Russian Orthodox
Church (ROC). Under such conditions Kostelnyk worked out a concept to use the
Galician Metropolitanate as catalyst for the modernization of the entire Russian
Orthodox Church and as well as the implementation of an ambitious ecumenical
program.
Keywords: Havryil Kostelnyk, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Galician
Metropolitanate, Russian Orthodox Church, Catholic modernism