LVIV – A monument to Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (1865-1944) was unveiled in Lviv, near St. George Cathedral, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth.
The monument was blessed by Patriarch Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. President Petro Poroshenko took part in the July 29 ceremonies along with his wife, Maryna. Multitudes gathered on St. George Square for the unveiling.
Patriarch Sviatoslav pointed to the historic nature of the event, underscoring that attempts to honor Metropolitan Andrey were an integral part of the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people. Before World War II, Ukrainians had made an unsuccessful attempt to erect a monument to the metropolitan. The patriarch recalled that the pedestal in its present shape had been established during the life of Metropolitan Sheptytsky, in the fall of 1932, at the Lviv Theological Academy. In 1945 the monument to Metropolitan Andrey was destroyed, as were most of Lviv’s monuments. Another monument to Sheptytsky designed by Serhii Litvinenko was installed in the courtyard of the National Museum in 1935, but it too was also destroyed by Soviet authorities.
“Many residents of Lviv remember the people in the 1990s bringing flowers to the places where monuments to Taras Shevchenko and Metropolitan Andrey were to be raised. Many of you remember that in St. George Square there was a mountain of flowers and candles and an inscription: ‘Here the monument to Metropolitan Andriy will be raised.’ And now this has come true,” Patriarch Sviatoslav said.
Presidential Administration of Ukraine
Patriarch Sviatoslav blesses the monument.
In his speech, President Poroshenko thanked Pope Francis for taking an important step toward the beatification of the metropolitan by recognizing his heroic virtues and declaring him venerable. “In a time of terror against the Church and the people, Metropolitan Andrey was the example of a fearless and unwavering follower of Christ. He proved that idols always fall, but faith, hope and love remain with us. And God remains with us forever as well.” He added, “Such people are valuable for the nation and constitute its golden reserve.”
Later that day, during a special program at the Lviv Opera House, Mr. Poroshenko stated that Metropolitan Andrey had played one of the most important roles in the formation of a Ukrainian state and the consolidation of Ukrainians into a single nation. “It is not a coincidence that many called him the Ukrainian Moses. He led Ukrainians of Halychyna through two world wars,” the president noted.
Faithful gather near St. George Church for the monument’s blessing.
“As a generous philanthropist, he invested funds in art, hospitals, temples and orphanages. As an intellectual, he took care of education. As an economist and entrepreneur, he initiated the establishment of peasant cooperatives, oil companies, construction companies and banks. He was creating a civil society with his own hands,” the president noted.
“The whole world should know that during World War II, Andrey Sheptytsky had enough courage to send a letter to Berlin in protection of the Jews. And those were not only words. He also provided shelter for the persecuted. Hundreds of Jewish families found shelter due to his assistance,” Mr. Poroshenko said.
The president recalled the prophecy of Metropolitan Andrey that Ukraine will become a powerful, united and majestic state.
President Poroshenko also expressed gratitude to the Church for its assistance in maintaining social unity in Ukraine. Russia is trying to undermine the situation in Ukraine by sowing “confusion, depression, hatred, anger,” he said. “But Ukrainians demonstrate that we are united in our patriotism and love for Ukraine. We will not let them tear us apart. I am grateful to the Church for its pastoral role in the process of Ukraine’s unity and love for Ukraine.”
The monument to Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky in Lviv’s St. George Square.
After the monument’s unveiling, Metropolitan Ihor Voznyak of Lviv thanked all those who had contributed to the monument’s construction, those who disseminated Metropolitan Andrey’s ideas and those who had assembled in the square.
The construction of the monument began in May. The monument’s sculptor is Andriy Koverko; its designers are architects Ihor Kuzmak and Mykhailo Fedyk. The 3.6-meter-high statue is cast from bronze; the metropolitan is depicted in a monastic robe, his head is slightly bowed; in one hand he holds a cross.
Sources: Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Religious Information Service of Ukraine.