Ukrainian Catholics leaning in the wrong direction?

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk is the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the largest of the Eastern rites which are in communion with Rome and part of the universal Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Catholics, unlike the Orthodox, look west, towards Rome, and are thus somewhat pleased to see their country moving towards a closer association with the European Union.

They must be wondering, though, to hear the head of the Church, Francis the Party Pope, hinting at a softening of the Church's teachings on abortion and homosexuality. Could it be that as the Ukrainians are moving towards the West, the western (Roman) Church is moving towards secularism and away from the principles for which it has stood for two thousand years?

In an interview with the Regional Council of Lviv -- the major city of the western Ukraine -- Abp. Shevchuk decried the haste of his country to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with that of Europe, so to "adopt the diseases of the Western society."

"In European legislation," the prelate continued, "I see no mention of the Christian roots of the culture. We are mistaken if we think that in order to have European prosperity we need to come down with these illnesses.

"Among the requirements of the European community are pseudo-values. The EU looks like a teenager who is testing the limits of morality and needs a Christian education. Europe was built not on same-sex marriages, but on the respect for human dignity, the protection of human rights and freedoms, on honesty in politics and business.

"On these foundations Europe arose, but it has forgotten about it. These are the values ​​which today the Church defends in our society. When it comes to the protection of life from its natural beginning to natural end, then it is the basis for the opposition to euthanasia, abortion, and other acts that violate the dignity of life."

It seems to Walt that Abp. Shevchuk was speaking of the Church as he understands it. The values of which he speaks were those held by Holy Mother Church (and the nominally Christian countries of the West) once upon a time. But if you listen to Pope Francis, you might well wonder if that time has passed.