EDITORIAL: Standing united (10/27/96)

EDITORIAL

Standing united

The Sobor of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, held in Lviv a few weeks ago, may go down in history as a watershed event for both the faithful and the leadership of this long-suffering Church. For the first time in its history, the laity, clergy and bishops of this Particular Church got together for constructive dialogue. More than 200 delegates - traveling from as far away as South America, North America, Europe and Australia - exchanged ideas, listened to criticism and shared various problems currently afflicting the Church.

"And what we found was that we are all members of one united Church, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church," said one North American participant, who was uplifted by the work of the Sobor, adding that it exceeded the expectations of the lay representatives and underscored to them that, although the faithful of this Church are scattered throughout the world, their voice is singular.

What they want is to fulfill the vision of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj and Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky before him; they want the Particular Ukrainian Catholic Church to be the unifying spiritual home of millions of faithful strewn across the world. It is this enduring Church that combines the Western openness with Eastern mysticism that has been the fortress of the faithful in Ukraine for more than four centuries.

It is a Church that is equal among equals. But it is also a Church that now - in independent Ukraine - must define where it is going and how it should prepare for the 21st century. "We see that ours is a Living Church," commented Bishop Lubomyr Husar, who masterfully presided over the work of the Sobor. "[The Sobor] proves that the people are concerned in their souls about matters of the Church. The collaboration among the various elements of our people is of itself proof of the vitality of our Church."

To be sure, the problems of the Church today focus on such daily needs as a uniform liturgical service, as well as a fixed approach to catechization of the laity. The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church - like many other Churches today - also needs to focus on how to keep its flock together.

But no longer are these issues discussed only behind the closed doors of synodal meetings. These doors have been opened to the concerned laity, which has shown its interest and desire to help the Church. It is this continued vibrancy that will give the Ukrainian Catholic Church and its faithful strength - and perhaps even lead to the recognition of a Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchate in the near future.

As some delegates at the Sobor explained, the recognition of any patriarchate by Rome has always begun as a grass-roots movement. And, when the movement gained sufficient strength, Rome acknowledged the formally existing patriarchate.

Although the Ukrainian Catholic faithful have supported the move for a Ukrainian Patriarchate since Cardinal Slipyj proposed it more than 30 years ago, often the leadership of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has been among the roadblocks to achieving this goal. Now the leadership has begun listening to its people.

Many of the participants of the Sobor agree that, to a great extent, the Sobor's success was due to the brilliant leadership of Bishop Husar, who led the proceedings with discipline, spirituality and humor. He gave the Church a human dimension, leading constructive discussions and dealing with issues aimed at enriching the Church for the 21st century.

And the Church leadership actually communicated with its faithful, taking their needs and concerns - such as youth, family matters and vocations to the priesthood - into consideration.

This Sobor marks the beginning of a dialogue that is scheduled to go on annually for the next three years, but it seems that it is also the beginning of a new era for this Church, which has been persecuted for decades, but has re-emerged as a vibrant, living institution.