14. "All Things to all Men"

A Bishop is the successor of the Holy Apostles, and as such, governs the part of the Church of Christ entrusted to his care. He must be father and pastor to all his flock without distinction. If he is drawn from a monastic community or a religious congregation, he remains a member of it, but is automatically exempt from all duties within it and cannot occupy any position of responsibility in it except in very rare cases and by special permission of the higher Church authorities. Long-established and venerable monastic and religious foundations such as the Benedictines, Franciscans, Jesuits etc. gave to the Church many great and holy bishops, but never had a bishop as their superior. The Marian Congregation is a notable exception: during the sixty years 1909-1969, out of six superiors general three of them were bishops. This must surely qualify them for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

After the arrival of Bishop Sipovich the Marian General Chapter continued its work for some time. On Friday 12 July 1963  the members of the Chapter were received in audience by Pope Paul VI. Bishop Sipovich noted in his diary that the Holy Father greeted them in Polish: "Niech b?dzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus" (May Jesus Christ be praised). No doubt he intended to please them and did not realise that the majority of those present were not Poles.

Thus began six difficult years in the life of Bishop Sipovich. In addition to participating in  the General Council and its commissions, he had now to deal with Marian affairs on an almost  daily basis, leaving little time for the Belarusians. This was felt on his first visit to London after his election. He arrived on 12 August, and during the month that followed much of his time was spent in sorting out various complicated personal problems of Polish Marians at Lower Bullingham (near Hereford) and Fawley Court (near Henley-on-Thames), and the financial difficulties of the Lithuanian house in London. On 21 August there was also a meeting of the Belarusian Marian Fathers under the Bishop's chairmanship. Among the subjects discussed were pastoral work among Belarusians, the resumption of publication of the journal Bozhym shliakham, and St Cyril's boarding House for boys. Although all these activities concerned the Belarusian Catholic Mission, Father Nadson, not being a Marian, was not present when they were discussed.

On 22 September Bishop Sipovich was back in Rome. The Second Session of the Vatican General Council opened on 29 September and lasted till 4 December. Bishop Sipovich attended all its meetings, as well as those of the Commission for the Religious, of which he was a member. It was during this session that he made the acquaintance of the two representatives of the Russian Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate, Archpriest Vitali Baravy (Borovoi) and Father Ilich. It proved that both these "Russian" priests were... Belarusians.

The Council began each working day with Mass (Liturgy), celebrated by one of the  participating bishops, and the enthronment of the Book of Gospels. On Saturday 14 October it was the turn of Bishop Sipovich to bring in the Gospel. He did this accompanied by Fathers Uladzimir Salaviej and Constantine Maskalik. Bishop wrote in his diary on that day: "Today I had the great honour at the start of the session of the Council to make the entrance with the Holy Gospel... It is dificult to describe the impression. The Holy Gospel is the living word of the Lord Christ and symbolises Christ. We are children of the glorious and longsuffering Belarusian nation, but God in his mercy does not forget about us. Today we have the honour to testify that we are alive and are taking part in the greatest event of our times, the Ecumenical Council. Yesterday I found in one of our Marian depositories a beautiful pectoral cross which had belonged to Father Abrantovich. It is dear to me for many reasons, but the strange thing is that I have found it only now, and today I  wore it for the first time during the Council. If without the will of God even a hair cannot fall from one's head, then the cross also could not be found without His will".

With so many things happening in the world and among Belarusians one thing was missing, namely a good Belarusian Catholic periodical publication. There was Mgr Tatarynovich's Znic, but, although it contained many excellent things, it reflected too much the individualistic character of its editor. What was needed was the resumption of Bozhym shliakham which, under the editorship of Fr Haroshka, had earned the well deserved reputation of one of the best Belarusian religious publications on account of its contents and presentation. Unfortunately Father Haroshka, although he spoke about it quite often, seemed undecided, as if uncertain of his own strength. It was in these circumstances that Fathers Hermanovich and Nadson resolved to resume publication "under new management". When the idea was put to Father Haroshka, he agreed readily. The journal was to be bimonthly, with Father Hermanovich as its new editor and Fr Nadson his assistant. Bishop Sipovich approved the plan, and early in 1964 the first issue of the relaunched Bozhym shliakham appeared. Among other things it contained the Christmas message of Bishop Sipovich and his account of the Second Session of the Vatican Council.

Father Hermanovich, despite his age (he was 74), proved to be a very good editor, with an ability to attract new and interesting collaborators. The level of the journal remained as high as ever, but there was more variety. But first and foremost it became an unofficial organ of Bishop Sipovich in his capacity as Visitor for Belarusians; his pastoral letters, sermons or correspondences appeared in practically every issue. Apart from that there were sermons and articles of a religious nature from Fathers Hermanovich, Nadson, and, later, Zhurnia and Padziava; articles of historical and cultural interest, such as the pioneering work on the history of Belarusian Church Music by H. Pichura, or early Belarusian prayer books (16-17th centuries) by A. Nadson; Father Hermanovich's reminiscences of Belarusian priests, his friends, whom he had known during his long life; and of course his poetry which added a lighter touch to the journal. Letters to the editor, reflecting the life of Belarusian communities in different countries and continents were an essential feature of the journal.

In 1964 Bishop Sipovich accepted Robert Tamushanski as a candidate for priesthood. He was a third-generation American, brought up by his grandparents who had come from Belarus at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. They were Greek Catholics and spoke Belarusian, although, being without any formal education, they could not explain to their grandson who they were. From them Robert learnt the Belarusian language. In search of his identity he joined the Ukrainian Basilian Fathers, but felt that it was not exactly what he was looking for. By chance Father Francis Charniauski met him and put him in touch with Bishop Sipovich who found him a place in the seminary at Koenigstein near Frankfurt. He began his theological studies there in the spring semester 1964. Thus ended Robert Tamushanski's search for his roots.

In the summer 1964 the house next to St Cyril's House came up for sale. Bishop Sipovich decided to buy it, primarily to expand the boarding house for boys. On 2 September he made the following entry in his diary: "Today is a 'historical' day for the St Cyril of Turau House school: we agreed with Mr Lamb about the purchase of his house at 39 Holden Road. N.12. He asked ?12,000, but we agreed on ?10,000".

The house was purchased early in 1965 with the help of a loan from the Westminster Diocese.

On 13 September 1964 Bishop Sipovich was back in Rome for the Third Session of the General Council, which started on the following day. It was during this session that on 19 October Bishop Sipovich made a speech at the Council when the draft of a decree on the Eastern churches came up for discussion. He spoke on the role of the Catholic Eastern Churches in the work of the Unity of all Christians. Towards the end he said: "Finally we shall say a few words about the importance of the Eastern Churches in the work for unity. These churches, decimated by persecutions, are accused of some kind of proselytism. These accusations can be even heard from certain Catholics who, in their search for the ways of reunion, despise the past. Today all of us here, guided by the Holy Spirit, are searching for what is best; and we, Eastern Catholics are convinced that our participation in the work for the union of Christians is of decisive importance".

This was Bishop Sipovich's answer to certain Western Catholic "ecumenists" who considered the Eastern Catholics an obstacle in relations with the Eastern Churches not in communion with Rome. He was later congratulated by some members of the Council, in particular Bishop Iakinthos Gad from Athens and Bishop Patrick Dwyer from Leeds.

On 11 October 1963 Metropolitan Joseph Slipyi spoke for the first time at the Council, and asked for the ancient See of Kiev to be raised to the dignity of a Patriarchate. At that time the Council was discussing the draft of the decree on Bishops. Bishop Constantini answered Slipyi that since primates, cardinals, patriarchs etc were not of Divine institution, there was no need to talk about them while dogmatic matters were being discussed.

That was probably the first, but by nomeans the last, public mention of the issue of a Ukrainan Patriarchate. There were even attempts to involve the Belarusians in it. Bishop Sipovich wrote in his diary on 29 October 1964: "Yesterday... at St Peter's I met Mgr P. Tatarynovich who has received permission to be present at (the Council's – A.N.) general sessions. We talked about the Kiev Patriarchate. Bishop Sapelak (Ukrainian bishop from Argentina – A.N.) told me that His Exc. Metropolitan Slipyi wishes to send a petition to Pope Paul VI in the matter of the Kiev Patriarchate. He asked me whether I would be willing to sign a petition of this sort on behalf of the Belarusian clergy. It is a very weighty matter and I must consult the Belarusian priests. Mgr Tatarynovich is of the opinion that Belarusians should not sign such a petition".

A few weeks later, on 11 November 1964 there is another entry in the diary on the same subject: "Yesterday His Exc. Sapelak gave me a letter to the Holy Father Paul VI to read; it was signed by many Ukrainian bishops and concerned the establishment of the Kiev-Halych Patriarchate... Having considered everything, I shall not sign it for the following reasons: 1. the letter to the Pope does not take into account Belarus and her church organisation at all. Belarus has also a right to a Patriarchate. 2. Why should the Kiev-Halich Patriarchate extend over the Ukrainian churches in the United States, Canada etc. I don't understand why the Patriarch should have jurisdiction outside the borders of a certain territory. 3. Today, when there is not even one bishop in Ukraine, to establish a Patriarchate seems to me, if not naive, at least very odd. 4. What is unrealistic, should not be asked for. 5. In the letter to the Pope there is an explanation of the words of Urban VIII: 'Per vos, Rutheni, convertendum esse Orientem (Through you, Ruthenians, the East is to be converted)'. The word 'Rutheni' is followed in brackets by 'Ukrainians'. This is incorrect. Belarusians are mentioned elsewhere, but only as if in passing".

During the third Session of the Council the decree on liturgical languages was approved, allowing the use of vernacular languages in Divine worship. The decree concerned the Catholics of Roman rite, for whom hitherto the use of Latin was compulsory. It was received  with enthusiasm by some, cautiously by others, but after some time it was accepted by all. The effect of the decree on languages was also felt in Belarus, but in a strange way. While other people had the Liturgy translated into their native languages, the few Catholic priests who still remained in Belarus hastily introduced... Polish. Perhaps unintentionally they played into the hands of the Communists who in their antireligious propaganda could argue that the Catholic Church was Polish and therefore foreign for Belarusians. Of course there were exceptions. One of them was Father Uladyslau Charniauski, a Marian who had attended the grammar school in Druia, but after 1939 did his theological studies in Lithuania and thus escaped Polish influence. In his parish at Vishnieva he conducted his pastoral work, preached and spoke with his parishioners in Belarusian. From 1965 he began gradually replacing Latin by Belarusian in the Mass, administration of Sacraments etc. On 5 October of that year Bishop Sipovich "received Belarusian texts from the Ritual, which were prepared in the BSSR by Fr. U. Ch(arniauski). They are the texts for baptism and matrimony... They will be printed (as an appendix – A.N.) in the Lithuanian Ritual". This episode is interesting because it shows the cooperation between Fr Charniauski and the Lithuanian Catholics. On the other hand in Belarus he was ostracised by Polish and polonised priests who accused him of... helping the Communists to destroy the Church. It is from the Lithuanian bishops who had come to the Council that Bishop Sipovich had first heard about Father Charniauski. Later direct contact was established between the two men. Although Church affairs, and particularly those of Roman rite, in Belarus were not within the competence of Bishop Sipovich, as a priest and a Belarusian he felt obliged to help his countrymen in need. With this in mind on 18 November 1964 he approached archbishop Samore from the Vatican Secretariate of State, arguing that the only way to improve the religious situation in Belarus would be to appoint an Apostolic Administrator (preferably a bishop) who would be a Belarusian. As a candidate he proposed Father Charniauski.

The language problem in the Christian East differed from that in the West. Theoretically among Eastern Christians, whether Orhodox or Catholic, all languages were permitted in the Liturgy. In practice among the Slavs, the Eastern Churches stuck to the venerable Church Slavonic language although nowadays the faithful could not understand it properly. The Russians have been particularly attached to Church Slavonic. Apart from other considerations, they had sound political reasons for it, namely to preserve the appearance of unity of the Russian Orthodox Church into which millions of Belarusians and Ukrainians had been forcibly incorporated. The first to introduce the native tongue in worship had been the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which after the First World War had proclaimed its independence, despite the strong opposition of the Russians. The Orthodox Church in Poland before the World War II had tried to introduce the Polish language in the Liturgy in an attempt to make "Orthodox Poles" out of Belarusians and Ukrainians.

The language problem in the Church, like everything else in this world, can be used (or abused) for political ends. This does not mean that there are not sound pastoral and spiritual reasons for introducing vernacular languages in the Church, namely that, in the words of St Paul, one "should pray not only with the spirit but with the mind as well" (1 Cor 14:15). Many people had felt like this for a long time. One of them was Fr A. Nadson who, after his return in 1959 from his studies in Rome, set about translating the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom into Belarusian. Early in 1961 he showed his work to Bishop Sipovich and Father Haroshka. Their reaction was discouraging. Father Nadson accepted with due humility their criticisms, but did not give up the work, only kept quiet about it, waiting for more propitious times. For some reason Bishop Sipovich and Father Haroshka did not seem very keen on the Belarusian language in the Liturgy, except for the reading of passages of Scripture. In 1967 Father Haroshka produced a book of Epistle and Gospel readings in Belarusian for Sundays and great feasts. The Belarusian language was partially introduced in the Greek Catholic parish in Chicago about 1960.

The Third Session of the General Council, which concluded its work on 21 November 1964, was of extreme importance, because it was during this session that the decrees  "On the Church", "On the Eastern Churches" and, perhaps the most significal of all, "On Ecumenism" were approved. This last decree initiated a new relationship between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches and communities in search of unity. It was preceded by the pilgrimage of the Pope to the Holy Land on 4-6 January of that year and the historical meeting there between him and the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras. They met in the land where Jesus Christ himself walked nearly two thousand years before.

The session itself was not lacking in dramatic moments. On 13 November, the feast of St John Chrysostom, the Byzantine Pontifical Liturgy which bears the name of that saint was celebrated in Saint Peter's Basilica in the presence of the Holy Father. The chief celebrant was Maximos IV, Patriarch of Antioch, and with him there were several Byzantine rite bishops and priests of different nationalities. Bishop Sipovich was one of them. At the end of the Liturgy the Pope took off his tiara, – or papal triple crown, – carried it to the high altar and placed it there as an offering for the poor of the world. Bishop Sipovich wrote in his diary: "I saw some present moved to tears, others applauded. I consider this event as something greater than a symbolic offering to the poor: this is the beginning of the new era in the Church, the era of poverty in the spirit of Christ".

On Sunday 21 March 1965 in London Bishop Sipovich conferred the minor orders of reader and subdeacon on Robert Tamushanski. This was the third Sunday in Lent which in the Byzantine calendar is dedicated to the veneration of the Holy Cross. In itself the conferring of the minor orders is not an important occasion, except for the ordinand himself. However, for the Belarusian Greek Catholic community this event had a special significance. Bishop Sipovich wrote in his diary: "(For the first time) since times immemorial a Belarusian bishop in a Belarusian church ordained a Belarusian candidate for priesthood... Per crucem ad lucem! (Through the Cross to Light!). Our nation is passing through sufferings and hardships to a better future. Today we honour the Holy Cross: in order to reign with Christ, we must first learn to suffer".

June 16 1965 marked the 25th anniversary of Bishop Sipovich's priestly ordination. The day fell while he was in the United States where he had gone in his capacity as Superior General of Marian Fathers to make canonical visits to their houses. He arrived on 15 May and left on 28 August for Portugal to visit the community of Marian Fathers in Balsamao. He got back to Rome (via London ) only on 13 September, one day before the beginning of the fourth and last session of the Ecumenical Council. Earlier in the same year, between 17 March and 25 April, Bishop Sipovich had visited the houses of the Marian Fathers in England.

Thus, during five out of the eight months in 1965 before the Council session Bishop Sipovich was busy with Marian affairs, and had little time left for anything else.

In the United States Bishop Sipovich began his canonical vistations of Marian communities with Chicago. He decided on this, because on 23 May the Belarusian Greek Catholic parish of Christ the Redeemer in that city was to mark its 10th anniversary. Bishop Sipovich thus was able to take a little time off from his Marian duties to celebrate the Pontifical Liturgy for the Belarusian community and convey the Papal blessing.

In June Bishop Sipovich was able to find a few free days to visit the Belarusian community in Toronto, Canada. On Sunday 13 June after the Liturgy there was a reception in his honour, at which he was warmly greeted by Father Michael Matsukevich, a Belarusian Orthodox priest, who was to become later Archbishop Nicholas, head of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Exile. On the following Sunday, 20 June, in New York, the Belarusian Catholic University Union "Run'" gave a reception to mark the silver jubilee of Bishop Sipovich's priesthood.

As can be seen, Bishop Sipovich tried as well as he could to combine the duties of the Superior General of Marian Fathers with those of the Apostolic Visitor for Belarusians. It was not always easy, and sometimes he was put in a position where he had to make a difficult choice. One such situation arose in connection with preparation to mark 1000 years of Christianity in Poland, which was planned for 1966. On 28 January 1965 Bishop Sipovich received a letter from Bishop Wladyslaw Rubin, chairman of the Central Committee for the Celebration of the Millenium of Christianity in Poland, in which he wrote: "I have the honour to ask Your Lordship, as the Superior General of Marian Fathers, to accept the membership of the Honorary Committee of this Millenium". It was a delicate situation, because the majority of members of the Marian Congregation  were Poles. Understandably Bishop Sipovich took his time before giving his reply. Finally, on 19 February he wrote to Rubin: "In answer to your letter of 28.1.1965 I wish to let you know that I cannot accept the honour of the membership of the Honorary Committee for the Celebration of the Millenium of the Baptism of Poland. There are many reasons for it; the most important of them being that, in the case of my accepting the membership, even purely honorary, I foresee difficulties in the exercise of my duties of the Visitor for Belarusians, which I perform by the will of the Apostolic See simultaneously with the office of the Superior general of Marian Fathers".

In September Bishop Sipovich came to London from Lisbon to take with him his old teacher, Father Hermanovich to Rome to show him the working of the Council. Father Hermanovich spent a few weeks in Rome, attending the sessions of the Council as the Bishop's "secretary".

Soon after beginning of the session of the Council sad news reached Bishop Sipovich. He wrote in his diary on 27 September: "The sad news came from Poland of the death of Fr C. Smulka. Also Fr Archpriest Salaviej telephoned from Germany to let me know that Fr Dr M. Maskalik had died. It is sad that the small number of our Belarusian priests is becoming smaller". Father Casimir Smulka, who died on 15 September 1965 aged 71, was one of the Belarusian Marian Fathers who were deported from Druia in 1938. Father Michael Maskalik, a priest of the Eastern rite, was the  Belarusian chaplain in Northern Germany. He died on 25 September 1965 at the age of 62.

During the first week of November, when there was a break in the work of the Council, the boys of St Cyril's House visited Rome at the invitation of Bishop Sipovich. They arrived on  30 October. On the following day, which was Sunday, during the Pontifical Liturgy, at which the boys sang, Robert Tamushanski was ordained deacon. The rest of their time was spent in visiting the Eternal City, culminating with a Papal audience on Wednesday 3 November.

At last came 7 December, the final working day of the Council. Bishop Sipovich makes the entry in his diary: "Today in Rome and in Constantinople the anathema of 1054 is going to be repealed! Could anyone at the beginning of the Council dream that such thing might happen!?"

As is well known, 1054 marked the unhappy rift between Rome and Constantinople which has persisted to this day. The repeal of the anathema was the first step towards healing this rift.

Then Sipovich continues: "At 10.20 a.m Bishop Willebrands reads in French the document, according to which the Papal Legate Humbert's excommunication of the Patriarch Cerularius, and the excommunication of the Roman Church by the Patriarch and his Synod, are declared null and void. Many Fathers are moved to tears, I among them. Long applause.

At 10.50-11.20 a.m. the Holy Father gives a homily. The keynote of this Council – 'immense love towards all men'".

On Wednesday 8 December, the feast of Immaculate Conception in the Roman rite, in St Peter's Square there was the solemn ceremony to mark the closing of the Council. Therew was aPapal Mass and messages of the Council Fathers to various groups of people (rulers; intellectuals and scientists; artists; women; the poor, the sick and the suffering; workers; youth). Bishop Sipovich wrote in his diary: "God granted a great favour to this world: the Council. The Fathers of the Council, and especially Pope Paul VI, did everything to shake up the world, to bring it nearer to God, to show the way of Christ. Will the world listen to the voice of the Council? The voice of the Church? I thing there will be many people of good will who will follow the voice of the Church".

Bishop Sipovich arrived from Rome in London on Sunday afternoon 19 December. He was just in time for the Christmas party at St Cyril's House, at which, apart from the boys, many members of the London Belarusian community were present. Among the gifts there was a special one for Father Haroshka: the announcement of his elevation to the dignity of Archimandrite (the Byzantine equivalent of abbot).