Benedict XVI appointed Msgr. Hlib Lonchyna Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainian faithful of the Byzantine rite in Great Britain

Benedict XVI appointed as Apostolic Exarch of Apostolic Exarchate for Byzantine-rite Ukrainian faithful living in Britain Mgr. Hlib (Borys Sviatoslav) Lonchyna, till now the apostolic administrator "sede vacante " of the same Exarchate, Radio Vaticana reports.

Bishop Hlib Lonchyna was born on 23 February 1954, in the town of Steubenville, Ohio (USA), into a Ukrainian family.

He was educated in Detroit and attended the primary and secondary schools of Immaculate Conception Parish, run by the Basilian Fathers and Sisters. At the same time he studied at the Ukrainian school and Ukrainian musical institute.

He studied theology at Rome's Urbaniana University and defended a doctorate in liturgy at the Pontifical Oriental Institute.

He became a monk in the Monastery of Saint Theodore Studite in Grottaferrata (Italy), in which took his vows (schema) on 19 December 1976. He was ordained a priest by Patriarch Josyf Slipyj on 3 July 1977, in the same monastery. For a few years he ministered at the Parish of Saint Nicholas in Passaic, New Jersey (USA). In 1985-1990 he was prefect of students at the College of Saint Sophia in Rome.

In 1994 he moved with the monastic community to Ukraine. He was a chaplain at Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv. He taught liturgy and biblical studies at Holy Spirit Seminary, the Lviv Theological Academy, the Institute of Higher Religious Culture, and also at catechetical courses.

In 1997-2001 he was regional chaplain of the Faith and Light community in Ukraine.

In 2000-2002 he worked as an attaché at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kyiv.

On 11 January 2002, he was nominated a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church with the titular see of Bareta. He received hierarchical ordination in the Cathedral of Saint George on 27 February 2002. The main ordaining bishop was His Beatitude Lubomyr; co-ordainers were Metropolitan Stephan Soroka and Bishop Julian Voronovskyj. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchal Curia of the Major Archbishopric, Head of the Curia of Kyiv and Halych Metropolitanate.

On 1 March 2002, His Beatitude Lubomyr named Most Rev. Hlib a Senator of the Ukrainian Catholic University. From 25 June 2002 to 2 June 2007, Bishop Hlib was the Head of the Senate.

From 22 March 2002 to 8 June 2004, he was the Head of the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC.

In 2002-2007 he was Head of the Supervisory Council of Caritas Ukraine. On 14 January 2003, by a decree of His Holiness John Paul II he was named Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Italy. From 25 March 2003, to 9 May 2006, he was the Apokrisarius-procurator of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church at the Roman See.

On 1 July 2003, by a decree of His Beatitude Lubomyr he was appointed postulator of the cause of beatification and canonization of Servant of God Andrey Sheptytsky.

On 4 March 2004, by a decree of His Holiness John Paul II he was named Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Spain and Ireland.

On 16 June 2006, by a decree of His Beatitude Lubomyr Bishop Hlib was appointed the Head of Administration of the Religious Administration of the Kyiv and Halych Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. On 28 September 2006, he became head of the Department of Church Commissions and Responsible for Monastic Matters of the Patriarchal Curia of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

On 2 June 2009, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Hlib Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainian Faithful of Byzantine Rite in Great Britain.