Cardinal Husar Comments On Patriarch Alexis II's Possible
Visit To Ukraine
Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church (UGCC), on 25 November 2002 commented on the possible
visit of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexis II to Ukraine.
The full text follows:
"The UGCC recognizes and respects the right of Orthodox
Christians in Ukraine, in particular the faithful of the Moscow
Patriarchate, to invite and receive those whom they consider
their spiritual authorities. Recalling the experience of last
year's visit of Pope John Paul II to Ukraine at the invitation
of the Catholic faithful, one can anticipate positive consequences
from such a pastoral visit for the faithful of the Moscow
Patriarchate and for society as a whole.
"The historic circumstances of the past decades, and
even centuries, have been so ordered that Orthodox and Catholics
of the Byzantine tradition who call themselves Greek Catholics
live side by side on both the territory of Ukraine and the
Russian Federation. This situation can be analyzed in various
ways, but we as Christians must strive to recognize within
this situation God's Providence, which always leads to our
good and benefit. We must also keep in mind that it is clear
that the will of Christ is 'that all be one.' Justified, and
all the more, unjustified, continually repeated mutual accusations
do not create an atmosphere conducive to peaceful dialogue,
without which understanding and reunion are impossible. We
act on the basis of stereotypes, which having taken on the
quality of absolutes, and having become an unbreakable wall,
could divide us forever.
"Usually the road to unity is very long, but perhaps
the time has come for us to take the first steps on that road.
The leaders of those Churches which are the heirs of Volodymyr's
Baptism have in a particular way a pastoral responsibility
which calls us to risk taking those steps which could lead
to the radical improvement of relations between our faithful.
In the 1980s, my predecessor of blessed memory, Myroslav-Ivan
Lubachivsky, had stated our Church's readiness for a first
step of mutual understanding and forgiveness. And today, Greek
Catholics express the same readiness.
"Therefore, if the Patriarch of Moscow does visit Ukraine,
I will be happy to receive him as a distinguished guest: in
order to move from stalemate to resolution of an entire list
of issues regarding our mutual relations: the peaceful coexistence
of Greek Catholics and Orthodox in the contemporary circumstances
of Ukraine; an appraisal of the Lviv pseudo-synod of 1946;
the resolution of church property issues; as well as the situation
of Ukrainian Greek Catholics living on the territory of the
Russian Federation, since we would like to ensure that they
be able to enjoy the same rights as all the faithful, both
Catholic and Orthodox, enjoy in Ukraine.
"We are also not indifferent to the situation that exists
in Ukrainian Orthodoxy. Although we have no desire to interfere
in matters not our own, nevertheless the problem of mutual
conflicts between Christians, particularly our fellow citizens,
cannot be a matter that is completely foreign to us. We sincerely
hope that the visit of the Moscow Patriarch to Ukraine will
be instrumental in mending specific evangelical relations
between the three branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
"We would like to view the visit of Patriarch Alexis
II - the spiritual leader of a large number of our Orthodox
brothers - with the eyes of Christian believers and appraise
his visit in that same context of Christian belief; with the
hope that this visit will be, as it were, a down payment toward
improved relations between the faithful of various denominations
and will facilitate the strengthening of Christian and civic
peace and international understanding."
Source: www.ugcc.org.ua
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