On Thursday, February 10, 2011, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI, according to the prescriptions of canon 126 § 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, accepted the resignation of the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych His Beatitude Patriarch Lubomyr Husar.
Patriarch Lubomyr personally asked for the decision. He leaves his office voluntarily.
The Vatican also reported that the Reverend Ihor Voznyak, CSSR, the Archbishop of Lviv, will be the administrator of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. His duty is, among other things, to convene the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to elect a new major archbishop, informs Radio Vaticana.
Patriarch Lubomyr Husar bio
His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar was born on February 26, 1933, in the city
of Lviv. There he finished primary school and the first year of
secondary school.
In 1944 the family was forced to leave Ukraine. At the beginning they
went to Austria. In the city of Salzburg His Beatitude continued his
studies at the Ukrainian secondary school.
In 1949 the Husar family moved to the USA. His Beatitude Lubomyr
finished secondary education at the minor seminary in Stamford (state
of Connecticut). Then he studied philosophy at Saint Basil's College,
where in 1954 he received a bachelor's degree.
He finished theological studies at the Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C. In 1958 as a student of Saint Josaphat's Major
Seminary he received a licentiate in theology. On March 30 of the same
year Bishop Ambrose Senyshyn ordained Lubomyr Husar a priest to serve
in the Eparchy of Stamford.
In 1958-1959 he served as teacher and prefect at Saint Basil's
Seminary in Stamford, and also ministered in Kerhonkson (state of New
York) as the pastor of the Soyuzivka resort of the Ukrainian National
Association and the camp of the Ukrainian Youth Association of America
in Ellenville (state of New York).
From 1965 he was pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Kerhonkson.
He continued studies at Fordham University in New York, studying philosophy.
In 1967 he received a master's degree.
In 1969 he moved to Rome to continue theological studies, which he
completed with a doctorate in theology in 1972.
In 1972 His Beatitude Lubomyr entered the Monastery of Saint Theodore
(monks of the Studite Order) in Grottaferrata (Italy).
From 1973 to 1984 His Beatitude taught at the Pontifical Urbaniana
University in Rome.
On April 2, 1977, in the monastery of the Studite Order in Castel
Gandolfo near Rome he was ordained a bishop by Patriarch Josyf Slipyj.
In 1978 Patriarch Josyf appointed Bishop Husar as archimandrite of the
Monastery of Saint Theodore and also responsible for the monasteries
of the Studite Order outside Ukraine.
From 1984 to 1991 he was protosynkellos (chancellor) in Rome of the
Lviv Archeparchy. In 1993 together with whole community from
Grottaferrata he returned to his native land. In 1993-94 he served as
a chaplain at Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv. In November 1996 His
Beatitude Lubomyr was appointed auxiliary bishop to the Head of the
Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.
On January 26, 2001, at an extraordinary Synod of Bishops he was
elected Major Archbishop of the UGCC.
On February 21, 2001, he was appointed by Pope John-Paul II a cardinal
of the Catholic Church.
Under the headship of His Beatitude Lubomyr in the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church, an event of the historic importance took place, the
seat of the Head of UGCC was transferred from Lviv to Kyiv on 21
August, 2005.
His Beatitude Lubomyr made much effort toward it as well as toward
development of the centralized administrative apparat, the Patriarchal
Curia of UGCC, which has become the center of coordination of Church
life.
Bishop Lubomyr conducted the largest number of Church Synods in UGCC:
14 sessions of patriarchal synods (with the participation of all the
bishops of UGCC) and 44 sessions of metropolitan synods (with the
participation of bishops in Ukraine).
On 22-23 January, 2011, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church celebrated
the 10th anniversary of the patriarchal service of the Supreme
Archbishop of Kyiv and Halych, His Beatitude Lubomyr.
The main celebratory events were the Christmas Prosphorae of the head
of UGCC on 22 January at the International Exhibition Center in Kyiv
and the Hierarchical Liturgy.
Under Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar), the following key Theological
documents were issued in UGCC: "Ecumenical Concept of UGCC" and "One
People of God in the Kyiv Hill Country." They deal with the principles
of cooperation of UGCC with the other parts of the Kyivan Church,
which once was one, stress that UGCC has always showed by its activity
an aspiration for closer and deeper cooperation with the traditional
Ukrainian Churches.
The creative heritage of the head of UGCC includes numerous
theological works and articles on religious and social subjects and
audio books.
An audio book "The Way to Oneself" appeared in 2009. The second audio
book "The Way to One's Neighbour" was presented by His Beatitude
Lubomyr in April, last year.
On occasion of the 10th anniversary of his patriarchal service, the
third audio book "The Way to God" appeared.
Many religious studies experts and public figures highly appreciate
the moral authority of Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar) and his correct
understanding of the place of the Church in the state and its role,
which allowed him as the head of UGCC to prevent involvement of the
Church in the political relations and strengthen its moral authority
in the Ukrainian society for 10 years.