UNA protests Vatican stance (05/31/98)

UNA protests Vatican stance

We, the Ukrainian Church Rights Defense Committee, elected by the delegates of the 34th Convention of the UNA, condemn the interference of Vatican agencies in the internal affairs of the Particular Ukrainian Catholic Church. This interference took the form of a letter from Cardinal Angelo Sodano to the apostolic nuncio, Msgr. Josef Kowalczyk, in Warsaw. In this letter, Cardinal Sodano ordered that "married priests who presently work in Poland must re-enter their dioceses of origin in Ukraine."

These priests traveled to Poland to serve the faithful of our Particular Church at the behest of the Ukrainian Catholic Church leadership. The decision of Cardinal Sodano contravenes the provisions of the Union of Brest, the resolutions of the Second Vatican Council and the Canon Law that pertains to Eastern Catholic Churches.

Committee members: Oksana Berezhnyckyj (Branch 127); Lev Chirovsky (Branch 445); Ihor Hayda (Branch 59); Wasyl Kolodchin (Branch 94); Bohdan Kowcz (Branch 222); and Nestor Olesnycky, vice-president. The statement was adopted unanimously by the convention on May 19.