Greek Catholic Cardinal Husar Visits Germany
Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church (UGCC), visited Germany from 3 to 5 November 2002.
He came at the invitation of Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president
of the German Catholic Bishops' Conference.
On 4 November, Cardinal Husar participated in the "reception
of St. Michael" in Berlin. This event is organized annually
by the German Catholic Bishops' Conference to acquaint the
participants with one of the churches throughout the world.
This year, the reception was dedicated to the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church.
Among those who took part in the reception were President
of Germany Johannes Rau, Wolfgang Thierse, head of the Bundestag
(Parliament), Angela Merkel, head of the opposition Christian
Democratic Union, and Bishop Petro Kryk, apostolic exarch
for Ukrainians in Germany and the Scandinavian countries.
Cardinal Husar delivered a speech entitled "The Contribution
of the Eastern Catholic Churches to Consolidation in Europe,
from the Ukrainian Point of View," in which he spoke
about the role of the UGCC as a mediator between East and
West and about the Christian roots of Europe.
"If Ukraine is to join the European Union, it wants
to be united with the community of European states that breathe
with two lungs, Roman and Byzantine traditions, which live
harmoniously in one body with one Christian heart," stressed
Cardinal Husar.
In addition, cardinals Husar and Lehmann met with leading
journalists of the German mass media, who were interested
in the state of the Church in Ukraine and the development
of ecumenical dialogue.
During his stay in Germany, Cardinal Husar also visited the
UGCC Church of St. Anne in Berlin and met with the Ukrainian
community. In his address to the faithful, he talked about
the ancient history of Ukrainians in Germany. According to
Vasyl Marushynets, Ukrainian Consul to Germany, there are
from 80 to 100 thousand Ukrainians in Germany today and Berlin
is home to approximately 10 thousand Ukrainians.
On 5 November, Cardinal Husar left Germany on a three-day
visit for Rome, where he will have a number of working meetings.
Source: www.ugcc.org.ua
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