Patriarchal Sobor concludes in Lviv, adopts code of social responsibility (07/14/02)

Patriarchal Sobor concludes in Lviv, adopts code of social responsibility

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Representatives of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church called on the Vatican to recognize its status as a patriarchal Church in a letter drawn up at the conclusion of the final session of a special convocation of the UGCC laity and leadership, held on June 30-July 4.

The meeting, the final session of the three-part Patriarchal Sobor held over the course of six years, approved a total of four documents, including an ethical code of social responsibility and two addresses, one to the primate and the other to the Church's faithful.

During a press conference after the conclusion of the Patriarchal Sobor, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar - whom many UGCC faithful already refer to as "patriarch," even while the Vatican officially refers to him as archbishop major - expressed confidence that the wishes of the UGCC will be acknowledged by the Mother Church.

"We are taking appropriate measures to come to an understanding with the Holy Father and Vatican authorities," explained Cardinal Husar, according to a UGCC press release. "In the last year this matter has gathered new momentum. It has become clear to all that we have a living Church, and in accord with the tradition of the Eastern Churches it should have the structure of a patriarchate."

The UGCC primate also stated his satisfaction with the just-completed sobor and the recommendations it had made to the UGCC leadership. He said that its most important characteristic was the expression of unity within the Church.

"The sobor was seriously disposed to the problems of the Church, not only in Ukraine but in the diaspora. The whole Church felt the importance of the sobor," said Cardinal Husar.

Nearly 200 delegates attended the sobor, held at the UGCC Seminary of the Holy Spirit, about 30 kilometers outside of Lviv in the small town of Rudno. Beneath a banner that read "Jesus Christ, the Source of the Renewal of the Ukrainian People," the delegates - laypersons, representatives of monastic orders, clergy and Church hierarchy from the nine UGCC eparchies and exarchates of Ukraine and 17 additional ones in North and South America, Europe and Australia - reviewed the situation within the Church at the dawn of the new millennium and identified some directions it needed to take to reach full rebirth.

The Rev. Ivan Dymyd, secretary of the sobor, set the tone for its work on the opening day when he called on the faithful to become activists within their Church and society.

"Indifference to religion and the needs of the people is a negative factor that has arisen in Ukrainian society," said the Rev. Dymyd.

In a document titled, "A Social Guide for the Faithful," the delegates addressed the problems of relativism, and wavering moral and ethical standards in the post-Modern age, and the need for social responsibility. The manuscript laid out 10 social commandments modeled after the original Ten Commandments to which the UGCC faithful should adhere, including: a sincere life in union with Jesus Christ; respect for human life and dignity from birth through death; sanctity of the family; avoidance of desecration of the human body with alcohol, tobacco, sex and drug abuse; respect for the natural wealth of the Earth; opposition to force of all types; and opposition to bribery and blackmail.

The Patriarchal Sobor began with an archiepiscopal divine liturgy at St. George's Cathedral in Lviv, the seat of the UGCC. That evening the convocation listened to opening remarks by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, the Vatican's papal nuncio to Ukraine, who greeted the sobor on behalf of Pope John Paul II. Afterwards, Cardinal Lubomyr called on the Church "to address the urgent social needs of the contemporary world."

The results and recommendations of the third session of the Patriarchal Sobor were passed on to the Synod of UGCC Bishops, which began meeting in Kyiv on July 7-12. The bishops' meeting carries historic underpinning, as it is the first synod of the UGCC in the country's capital in more than 100 years.

This was the final of three sessions of the Patriarchal Sobor that Cardinal Husar originally called in 1996 when he was still administrative head of the Church. Two earlier sessions were held in October 1996 and August 1998. The next Patriarchal Sobor is expected to be called in five years.

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