On November 13-14, to conclude the Jubilee Year of the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Josaphat, the International Scientific Conference "Identity and Culture: Theological, Cultural, and Historical Dimensions of Josaphat Kuntsevych" is taking place at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Scholars from Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and other countries worldwide were greeted by the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
"We have been waiting for this day for a long time. We prepared the whole year to truly experience the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Josaphat, the bishop of our Church," noted His Beatitude Sviatoslav at the conference's opening. Quoting his predecessor, His Beatitude Lubomyr, he emphasized that every jubilee is a good opportunity to pray, pay attention, explore, reflect, and seek answers to current challenges and difficulties.
The Head of the UGCC thanked the scholars who, throughout the year, not only dedicated time to the study of this important figure in the Catholic Church but also present the fruits of their work at this conference.
For centuries, noted the Head of the UGCC, many ideologies have tried to overshadow the person of St. Josaphat. According to him, the ancient Kyivan Church, born from the preaching of the Constantinople Church, experienced a glorious period in its history after restoring communion with the Apostolic See. St. Josaphat became the embodiment of this important but tragic moment. "Josaphat gave such a strong impulse that, they say, he formed the identity of four nations: Lithuanian and Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish. This conference, bringing together scholars from Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, demonstrates that the impulse given at that moment when modern nations were being born can help us find answers to contemporary challenges."
His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized, "We need the objectivity of scientific methodology to de-ideologize the figure of St. Josaphat, as well as the real processes of seeking the unity of the Church of Christ, unity in our communities, and unity and communion among the disciples of Christ."