His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, met with students at the well-known and respected National University of the Kyivan-Mohyla Academy on 1 October 2001. The theme of the meeting was “The Fragility of the Modern World and Guidelines for Ukrainian Youth.” The cardinal spoke and the students themselves also took part, questioning him about religion and its role in their lives.
Filling the hall, the students took advantage of the opportunity to hear the lecture of a professor and doctor of theology who is also a religious leader. The cardinal talked about the role of the Church, admitting that this is “not just a mysterious institution, composed of bishops and priests. Its purpose is not to give orders but to help people to understand the truths of life.” The students asked him questions like: what steps is the Church taking to attract youth to religious life? The UGCC’s head admitted that, unfortunately, all Christian Churches are doing very little in this area. “Who can carry out all this work? Bishops, priests, monks and nuns? Clearly this is not enough to reach the heart of every young person.” Consequently, the cardinal explained, it is necessary that all of the faithful sincerely work for their own self-awareness, so that they understand the values that church leaders are preaching. Husar also addressed the issue of religious pluralism, which is a controversial question in a country where 72 different Churches and religious institutions are registered with the government. “We should not deny any one his right to confess his faith, though we should oppose those movements which, under the banner of religion, destroy the human being and teach hatred.” His Beatitude called Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants to live in friendship, in the spirit of harmony and tolerance.