On May 25, 2020, the working sessions of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church have started at the Patriarchal House in Lviv. They will last until May 27.
On May 25, 2020, the working sessions of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church have started at the Patriarchal House in Lviv. This is reported by the UGCC Information Department.
The working sessions of the permanent Synod of the UGCC are chaired by the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav. Participating in its work are the Synod member Bishop Theodore Martynyuk, auxiliary Bishop of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archdiocese, and two Deputy Members of the Permanent Synod: Bishop Igor Voznyak, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv, and Bishop Yaroslav Pryriz, Eparch of Sambir-Drohobych. The participation of deputies is due to quarantine restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the pandemic and is also due to the inability of members of the Permanent Synod to cross national borders because of the lockdown.
The Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, also takes part in the meetings.
On the first day of their work, the bishops familiarized themselves with the current state of monasticism of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which was reported by the Patriarchal Commission on Monasticism of the UGCC, led by Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy, Exarch of Odessa.
Bishop Kenneth Novakovsky, Eparch of London, presented the activities of the Council for Spiritual Care, and Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Eparch of Parma, together with the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy, reported on the state of the clergy in modern pastoral conditions, and especially on the development of vocations to the priesthood. At the end of the working day, a presentation was made on the life and activities of the Social Department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, headed by Bishop Vasyl Tuchapets.
Also, the Synodal fathers will consider proposals for holding a Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in 2020 and the current state of the Church's pastoral care in the context of quarantine, the spread of the pandemic and its consequences.
The session of the Permanent Synod of the UGCC will last until May 27.
It should be noted that the Permanent Synod assists the Head of the UGCC in matters of ordinary administration or in solving urgent matters of the Church.