Representatives of World and Ukrainian Churches Participate in Ceremony of Enthronement of New Greek Catholic Head
On 27 March, in Kyiv, in the Church of the Holy Resurrection, the ceremony of enthronement of the new head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) was held.
The celebratory liturgy was attended by priests from all the eparchies of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, hierarchs, metropolitans, bishops, Archbishop Mieczyslaw Morkzycki of the Lviv Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, Patriarch Filaret of the Kyivan Patriarchate, Bishop Yevstratii (Zoria) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, Bishop Ilarion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate.
The following hierarchs of the world Churches came to Kyiv to attend the ceremony: Bishops of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church led by Patriarch Gregory III of Antioch, Secretary of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Archbishop Kyryl Vasyl, Apostolic Exarch for the Catholics of Byzantine Rite in Serbia and Montenegro, Bishop Yurii (Dzhudzhar), Archbishop Ivan (Babiak) of Priashiv for Catholics of Byzantine Rite, Archimandrite Yan Serhii (Gaiek) of the Belorussian Greek Catholic Church.
The ceremony was also attended by the ex-President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, Deputy Head of the presidential administration, Hanna Herman, the Ambassador of USA to Ukraine, John Teft.
On 25 March, Pope Benedict XVI approved the request to confirm the choice sent submitted by Bishop Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), who was canonically elected Supreme Archbishop of Kyiv and Halych by the Synod of Bishops of UGCC on 23 March.
