Greek Catholic Cardinal Husar Visits Germany

On 4 November, Cardinal Husar participated in the “reception of St. Michael” in Berlin. This event is organized annually by the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference to acquaint the participants with one of the churches throughout the world. This year, the reception was dedicated to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Among those who took part in the reception were President of Germany Johannes Rau, Wolfgang Thierse, head of the Bundestag (Parliament), Angela Merkel, head of the opposition Christian Democratic Union, and Bishop Petro Kryk, apostolic exarch for Ukrainians in Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Cardinal Husar delivered a speech entitled “The Contribution of the Eastern Catholic Churches to Consolidation in Europe, from the Ukrainian Point of View,” in which he spoke about the role of the UGCC as a mediator between East and West and about the Christian roots of Europe. “If Ukraine is to join the European Union, it wants to be united with the community of European states that breathe with two lungs, Roman and Byzantine traditions, which live harmoniously in one body with one Christian heart,” stressed Cardinal Husar. In addition, cardinals Husar and Lehmann met with leading journalists of the German mass media, who were interested in the state of the Church in Ukraine and the development of ecumenical dialogue. During his stay in Germany, Cardinal Husar also visited the UGCC Church of St. Anne in Berlin and met with the Ukrainian community. In his address to the faithful, he talked about the ancient history of Ukrainians in Germany. According to Vasyl Marushynets, Ukrainian Consul to Germany, there are from 80 to 100 thousand Ukrainians in Germany today and Berlin is home to approximately 10 thousand Ukrainians. On 5 November, Cardinal Husar left Germany on a three-day visit for Rome, where he will have a number of working meetings. Source: www.ugcc.org.ua