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Skriven 2006-03-16 21:57:10 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

GREEK-CATHOLIC UKRAINIAN CHURCH: BONDED TO ROME

VATICAN CITY, MAR 16, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter sent by the
Pope to Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, to
mark "the sad events to which the cathedral of St. George at Leopoli was
witness, in March of sixty years ago."

In his Letter, dated February 22, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Benedict XVI
recalls how in the cathedral in March 1946, "a group of prelates meeting in a
pseudo-synod which took upon itself the right to represent the Church, made a
serious attack against ecclesial unity. Violence against those who remained
faithful to the Bishop of Rome intensified, giving rise to further suffering
and forcing the Church to descend once again to the catacombs."

Despite these trials, the Holy Father goes on, thanks to God "the Greek-
Catholic Church did not disappear but continued to bear her own witness to the
unity, sanctity catholicity and apostolicity of the Church of Christ."

The Pope expresses the hope that this anniversary may stimulate the Greek-
Catholic community in Ukraine "to strengthen its intimate and committed bond
with Peter's Successor," and emphasizes how, "in the patient daily journey of
faith, in communion with the successors of the Apostles, ... the Ukrainian
Catholic community has managed to uphold Sacred Tradition in its integrity."

He continues: "In order for this precious heritage of 'Paradosis' to survive in
all its richness, it is important to guarantee the presence of the two great
currents of the one Tradition - the Latin current and the Orthodox current -
each with the multiplicity of historical characteristics that the Ukraine has
been able to express."

Benedict XVI closes his Letter with reference to "the dual mission entrusted to
the Greek-Catholic Church in full communion with Peter. On the one hand, her
task is to ensure the oriental tradition remains visible in the Catholic
Church, on the other, to favor the encounter of the traditions, bearing witness
not only to their compatibility, but also to their profound unity in
diversity."
BXVI-LETTER/UNITY PETER'S SUCCESSOR/HUSAR VIS 060316 (350)

SUMMARY

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