Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome celebrates 40th anniversary (01/04/04)

Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome celebrates 40th anniversary

by Petro Didula

ROME - The 40th anniversary of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Rome was celebrated on December 6-7. Professors, senators and students of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv traveled to the Eternal City for the festivities. They were joined by representatives of the St. Sophia Association, which is now the owner and caretaker of the university's premises in Rome. Professors from various Roman universities, Ukrainians presently working in Italy and other interested parties also took part.

On the first day, numerous scholarly reports were presented. Among the topics were "Patriarch Josyf and the UCU," read by the Rev. Dr. Ivan Muzyczka and "The Professors of UCU in Rome," read by Prof. Leonid Rudnytzky. Younger listeners learned much about the UCU's history, for example, that Patriarch Josyf Slipyj proclaimed the founding of the UCU in Rome at the age of 71, a few months after he had been released from imprisonment in the Siberian gulags, with no buildings, land, students or professors to start with. And there were only about 20 Ukrainians in all of Italy at the time.

The reports were marked with a certain sadness. A text on Pope St. Clement, the patron saint of the UCU Rome, was to have been read by the late Dr. Miroslav Labunka. Dr. Labunka, who had been a visiting professor at UCU in Rome, and also visited the UCU in Lviv a number of times, died in Philadelphia on December 1. Dr. Labunka's paper was read, a panakhyda (memorial service) was held for the repose of his soul, and the participants paused for a moment of silence in his memory.

Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, presented special awards to Bishop Ivan Choma and the Rev. Dr. Muzyczka, who had been close co-workers with Patriarch Josyf Slipyj in the creation of the UCU Rome.

The fate of the premises of the UCU Rome was also discussed that weekend. Cardinal Husar, Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, head of the St. Sophia Association, and the rectorate and senate of the UCU Lviv decided to pass the UCU Rome into the care of the UCU Lviv.

The Rev. Dr. Mykhailo Dymyd, first rector of the revived Lviv Theological Academy and now director of the Institute of Canon Law at the UCU Lviv, suggested that affiliation would be the best legal relationship between the two institutions.

"This is not because Lviv is something higher or Rome is something lower," explained the Rev. Dr. Dymyd. "This is because the experience of the Church in Ukraine is something especially important for the Catholic University. Affiliating the Roman UCU to the Lviv one will lead us in Ukraine all the more to seek various ways to go to Ukraine's capital. The UCU's presence in Kyiv will help improve the dialogue with Russians, Belarusians, Slovaks and representatives of other nations."

Archimandrite Robert Taft, S.J., of Rome's Pontifical Oriental Institute, said that the affiliation of the UCU in Rome would be a beautiful opportunity for Ukrainian scholars. "Rome is a city where various cultures have overlapped for a long time. Finding one's place in this city of great historical and cultural heritage means not only dipping into its treasury, but also adding something of one's own to it," said Archimandrite Taft.

"The affiliation of the UCU in Rome is an opportunity for Ukrainian scholars to talk not only on Ukrainian themes, but also on general human themes, to get acquainted with scholars of various nationalities and schools of the world, who have their own scholarly interests and research," he added.

Prof. Natalia Yakovenko, an UCU senator and professor at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, considered the possibilities of the UCU in Rome through the prism of the confessional situation in Ukraine. "If [the UCU] invites not only Greek-Catholic students here, but also representatives of the other confessions in Ukraine, this can lead gradually to establishing a productive dialogue," she said.

"Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians, Poles and representatives of other nations of Central and Eastern Europe are today called to study the roots of the culture and religion that they hold in common," said Prof. Jerzy Axer, an UCU senator and professor at the University of Warsaw. "There is a great need to create a joint program for the study of the Mediterranean, and the UCU Rome would create a wonderful opportunity to develop this program. Taking part in this, which is something we have in common, scholars will turn less attention to those troubling places in history that divide us," he concluded.

Among the activities of the second day of festivities was a discussion on "The Importance of The Study of Theology in Ukraine and Beyond Its Borders." Ukrainian students now studying in Rome led the discussion.

"Please remember that in addition to knowledge of disciplines, theology also requires certain structures: faculties, journals, societies, and so on," said the Rev. Borys Gudziak, rector of the UCU Lviv, to the assembled students. "The Rev. Dr. Ivan Muzyczka's generation did not finish writing all the theology textbooks because 'the fire went out.' They used up all their energy addressing the most pressing problems that arose in the various circumstances of the life of our Church. Our generation dedicated itself to building the necessary structures... You now stand on our shoulders. And you should offer your shoulders to following generations. Theology cannot develop without service to others."

A related topic of discussion over the weekend was the Ukrainian presence in Italy. Today the country has half a million Ukrainians. And, according to the sociological research of UCU graduate Marichka Shehda, who is now studying in Rome, the absolute majority of these Ukrainians are Greek-Catholic women. The Church of St. Sophia in Rome, which is part of the premises of the UCU, is gradually becoming the main Ukrainian center in Italy.

Father Vasyl Potochniak, coordinator of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic parishes in Italy, said that the development of an all-Italian center for Ukrainians will assist in the development of the theology of the Kyivan Church. "But this inevitably should be based on service to others," Father Potochniak noted. "In these conditions, we cannot refuse to do this, even if it seems to interfere with our educational or scholarly plans."

For further information about the Ukrainian Catholic University, contact the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation, 2247 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622; phone, (773) 235-8462; fax, (773) 235-8464; e-mail, [email protected]; website, http://www.ucef.org.

| Home Page |