Patriarch of UGCC proposes to proclaim St John Paul II the patron saint of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation
On August 26-27, 2019, the head of the UGCC, Patriarch Svyatoslav, was on a visit to Poland at the invitation of the episcopate of this country. On August 26 the head of the UGCC led the evening prayers in front of the miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin, during the so-called Apel Jasnogórski.
He also had the opportunity to meet with the Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Metropolitan Stanislaw of Poznan, and the Council of diocesan bishops of the PEC.
During the visit, a "Letter of intent regarding the desire and need for relentless deepening of dialogue and unification" was signed, according to the Information Department of the UGCC.
"We want to express our sincere will to continue the dialogue and the desire for even deeper reconciliation between our churches. We want to view our history in the spirit of the Gospel, that is, of love, forgiveness, and truth, without which any real dialogue is impossible," reads the document, which was jointly signed by the Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference and the Head of the UGCC.
The letter of intent also refers to the parties' desire to deepen mutual knowledge of each other's traditions and history, especially among the younger generation. It is proposed to do this through prayer meetings, solemn celebrations of the Eucharist in the Roman and Byzantine-Ukrainian rites, pilgrimages to pilgrimage sites important for both Churches, as well as through symposiums and other academic events.
They note that His Beatitude Lubomir Guzar and Holy Pope John Paul II played an important role in improving relations between the Polish and Ukrainian peoples, as they always testified to the power of forgiveness, reconciliation and dialogue as a guarantee of good relations and healing the wounds of the past between Poland and Ukraine.
In a speech to the episcopate of Poland on "Reconciliation and unification between churches and peoples. Past and future. The importance of St. John Paul II as a patron saint" His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted:" In Polish-Ukrainian relations, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church played an important role, despite political obstacles. The Roman Catholic Church in Poland was the dominant community, which included more than 90 percent of citizens, while the UGCC operated underground and was one of the few Christian denominations that operated outside the law in Soviet Ukraine and represented mainly residents of the Western part of the state, and its leaders were in Rome since the mid-60s."
According to the spiritual leader of the Greek Catholics, an extremely important step on the path of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation was the visit of John Paul II to Poland in 1991 and his speech in Przemysl, in which he recalled the events in the sanctuary on Yasnaya Gora in 1988.
"The actions of the cardinals Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, Jozef Glemp and Lubomyr Husar, inspired by the charismatic Pope John Paul II, were innovative. Today we can see what farsightedness and wisdom John Paul II had shown when initiating the Polish-Ukrainian dialogue. It should be noted that his efforts were not in vain, as the process of reconciliation and cooperation has taken root. From this path we still need to remove the various stones and obstacles that the past has thrown at us. But what is happening in our relationship today is a special blessing from God. In addition, it is also the realization of John Paul II's prophetic vision of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation...", stressed the Primate of the UGCC.
"Today, as previously, the issue of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation has its avid critics and opponents on both sides of the border. However, as Christians and children of the same Catholic Church, we believe that it is our duty to consistently and persistently follow this path. For those who believe and preach the gospel, all ideologies, born even under the influence of the noble national feelings of a nation, look shortsighted and prosaic," said His Beatitude Svyatoslav. "Therefore, I call on our bishops to jointly proclaim St. John Paul II as the patron of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation, so that in his person our peoples have a defender before God in this sacred cause, which is also supported and blessed by Pope Francis."
