Ukrainian Catholic University Sends to Vatican 43 Fir Trees and Christmas Ornaments
The Ukrainian Catholic University sent forty-three fir trees to the Vatican. They will be used to decorate St. Peter’s Square and the Apostolic Palace on Christmas. The trees were sent by UCU on November 30, upon request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
“In this way, the university contributes to the organization of Ukrainian Christmas in the Vatican. A part of Ukraine will remain in the Vatican even after Christmas as the young trees will be planted there and will grow in the Italian soil,” said Vice Rector of UCU on administration and development, Myroslav Senyk.
UCU sent to the Vatican 43 young 5-10 meter high fir trees from the wood farms in Lviv Oblast.
The university is also to send to the Vatican 257 wooden Christmas tree ornaments made by folk art craftsmen and about two thousand glass balls produced in the folk art manner.
As RISU reported, the fir tree for St. Peter’s Square was cut down November 18 in the Transcarpathian Oblast. It is 30 meters high, its weight is 4 tons and its trunk diameter is more than half a meter. It will be unveiled on December 16.
The ceremony of the opening of the Christmas Tree from Ukraine will be attended not only by the bishops of the Catholic Churches of Ukraine but also representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate. The agreement in this regard was reached during the meeting of Patriarch Sviatoslav of UGCC with the representative of Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), Archbishop Oleksandr (Drabynko).
